Ringtail in the Bush
by PowerBoi
Summary: This is just a story I wrote on DeviantArt centred around a fan-created Sly Cooper Ancestor from 1860s' Down Under-Kelley MacCooper. Though I think you'll find, he will not be the only Cooper in this story. Anyway, hope you all enjoy. Please comment if you like the story!
1. Chapter 1- Boredom, the Butcher's Bane

Year: 1866. Place: Bonnydoon, New South Wales, Australia

The sound of a primitive cow bell rang through the walls of a small wood cabin, accompanied by a yell. "Kelley! We've got customers in front o' the door!" Inside one of the cabin's rooms, a young raccoon tried hiding his head in a sack pillow, obviously not motivated enough to get out of bed. Much to the irritation of a shopkeeper warthog dressed in an apron. "Up ya get, m'boy! Move it!" Irritated, the raccoon covered his head with the sheet, whilst mumbling. "Go 'way, dad." The warthog pulled away the covers before he tapped the raccoon's shoulder. "It's one hour after opening time, my lad. Now get up!" Reluctantly, the young raccoon got out of bed before yawning, stretching out his arms out wide before folding his ears. The warthog pushed him lightly out of his room. "Rise and shine, Kelly. We have three packages of meat to prepare for Sheriff Ward." Kelley rolled his eyes before walking out with his father.

A short queue had already lined up in front of the counter. One of the customers, a reverend kangaroo with a book in his hand, spoke to the warthog, "Good morning, Yorkie." Yorkie chuckled before replying, "Morning to you too, father. What can a humble butcher do for ye this fine morn?" The kangaroo modestly shook his head. "Please, my son. Only call me father in the church. For now, I am simply here as a customer, not a holy man. Anyhow, I would like half a kilo of venison." Yorkie took the reverend's order before turning to Kelley. "Kelly, do your old pa a favour and go fetch a kilo of venison for the reverend." Kelley sighed before reluctantly obeying his father, just as Yorkie pulled out a medium-sized steak-knife, before beginning to slice the meat thinly. "I don't know what's gotten into the boy lately." The reverend sagely nodded his head. "He is young, Yorkie. They all tend to be…difficult nowadays." Yorkie scoffed at the reverend's claim just as Kelley gave him the requested orders of venison. "Bloody oath that is, Rev. That boy's got tickets on 'imself," he continued, slicing the meat finely with the knife as he grumbled, "And them bloody bushrangers are doing wonders for the tin lids these days." Kelley in the meantime tried minding his own business, taking out his growing frustration on sharpening his father's knives as he heard the queue pipe up one at a time. A middle aged poodle chimed in to the conversation. "I swear, if I hear one more drongo nattering on about those bloody bushrangers, oath or not, I'll go starkers." Another member, a Posh crocodile also commented. "Quite right. It's a crook job. I mean, with all the fuss about the Gold recently, it's bad enough we've got foreigners wandering onto British-owned Colonial soil, but strike me pink if the Redcoats don't get to work using their 'eads. The sooner we get rid of these malcontents, the better." Yorkie packed up the sliced venison before handing both packages to the reverend. "Here you go, rev. Sorry I had to bring up the goss and keep you hung up on the line like a wet mossie," only for the reverend to modestly shake his head. "Do not think of it, Yorkie. God bless the king."

But even after the reverend left, the queue seemed to get bigger, much to Kelley's obvious dismay. All day long it was the same dull old routine. Kelley, M'boy, chop this meat up, since your ol' dad's gone off to the pub. Kelley, pack that meat proper-like. Kelley, deliver this meat to the ol' Rev. Deep inside, Kelley found himself bored by the monotonous cycle that went by. As he worked at the counter, he began to daydream. About what, you might ask? Why, about bushranging. The excitement of defying a law that ordered him to be like everyone else. The thrill of riding an ebony horse to buzz a few posh dags, all the while normal people would be praising him. Kelley the hero. Kelley the brave outlaw, who dared stick it to the redcoats and to the dull old kookaburras who mocked him for dreaming too big instead of just being happy with chopping dull slabs of meat day after tiresome day. Suddenly, Kelley was snapped out of his day-dreamlike state by an impatient customer, a thin stoat from one of the gold mines who stared at him before calling out, "Oi! 'Ead out of the clouds and back to Earth for five minutes, please!" Kelley then breathed a heavy sigh before resuming his daily drudging. Some day, he swore to himself, running the knife through the dull, cold meat laid atop the cutting wood. Some day, indeed.

That night, whilst Kelley was fast asleep, his dreams took him somewhere in the distant past. To a small galleon traversing over the seas. Suddenly, a strangely vague feeling rammed into him like someone gave him a kick to the bladder, that he might've at least remembered this ship. But before he could ask any questions, the ship began violently rocking about, the sound of splintering wood and cries of help making Kelley feel frightened for his life. Feverishly, he tried finding a way overboard, but the doors seemed locked. As he turned around-wham! A locked chest slammed into his chest and out of the quickly sinking ship. The next thing he knew, Kelley found himself hanging for dear life from a portion of a large book. "What the blazes?" Briefly, as the ocean was being enveloped in a bright light, the book began chanting 'Remember, Remember, Remember'. Frightened, Kelley tried climbing onto the driftwood, before asking the book "Remember what?!" Suddenly, his portion of the driftwood began to snap, and as he fell into the endless white abyss, he screamed "What is it I'm supposed to remember?!"

Waking up in a cold sweat, Kelley clasped his paws on his face, trying to ease himself back to reality. "It's only a dream...It's not real..." But suddenly, Kelley found himself turning in his bed, his paws landing on the wooden floor as he felt himself becoming lighter, unable to control himself. Creeping through the cabin, Kelley found himself powerless to resist his dream's influence, his paws gravitating in front of him as he crept up to his father's room. Powerless, he tried resisting the urge, biting into his tail furiously as he felt his paws quietly opening the door. The young raccoon suddenly felt himself ducking from his father's view, crawling on the floor as he heard his father snoring. Upon stopping, the young raccoon's eyes gravitated towards a dull blue block on his father's top shelf. Creeping to the top, Kelley grabbed the object and felt himself instinctively slipping through the window.

Stopping his pace fairly short of the stables, Kelley looked towards the stolen item in his paws. Light from a thunderstorm helped lit the cover to the world. The Theivius Raccoonus. At this point, Kelley didn't know what to do; the Theivius Raccoonus, in his possession. He didn't know how he got it, or why his father had it, let alone why his body manipulated him into stealing it. Suddenly, he heard shouts from the villagers in the town, one of them firing into the air. His attention drawn, Kelley heard one of them call 'Stop! Thief!'. He had to get away. Yes, he thought to himself, far away! Instinctively, he rushed towards the nearest horse and hijacked it, riding it out of town. As the sound of the horse galloping drowned out the sounds of several villagers in the distance, Kelley thought to himself, 'I'm an outlaw now. A thief.' But slowly, the reality of his words dawned on him, and he began laughing as his horse galloped into the night. "Bonza! I'm free! No more sermons! No more packing or chopping meat! You hear me, world?! I'm a bushranger, now! And I am alive! Ha ha!" The crescent moon became clouded, the dark clouds distorting the moon's shape into a crooked cane.


	2. Chapter 2- One for the Money

One for the Money.

The next morning, Kelley found himself waking up from the smouldering remains of a campfire-and a missing horse. Silently cursing his luck, Kelley picked up the book before murmuring something under his breath, kissing the hardcover. "Mwah! Apples, me papery mate. If it weren't for you, I'd still be chopping meat. Well, time to get to work." Carefully, he placed the expensive book in a sack before placing it behind his shoulder. Looking to the trail, he looked at his feet, noticing some splinters in the flesh. "Bonza. The one bloody time I don't feel like walking, the horse is gone. Oh well." Throwing that minor inconvenience aside, Kelley was on the road once more.

After what felt like hours walking across bare grass and sharp pebbles, Kelley leaned against a tree, groaning in pain. "Oh why-why didn't I have the decency to slip on something for my paws?" But all of a sudden, Kelley heard the galloping of hooves in the distance. Quickly, Kelley ducked into the bush. And lo and behold, a carriage drove by Kelley's hiding spot. The carriage seemed foreign, as the wood was dyed purple and gold adorned the wheels. As the carriage picked up dust, Kelley tried to stop himself from coughing long enough for a very familiar spark in his eye. That carriage would've provided a nice alternative to walking, he thought to himself, even though he had no weapons to speak of. But something in the carriage quickly caught his young eye-the biggest bag of golden coins and jewels he had ever laid eyes upon. Like a cat attracted by a toy mouse, Kelley comically uprooted the bush he was hiding behind [once the carriage was out of sight] and began following the carriage's trail, merrily skipping upon the way.

When the carriage finally stopped to set up camp, Kelley slowly crept up behind the tree next to the parked carriage. The driver, two stagegirls and a bodyguard were all seated in the fireplace, but the carriage was not unguarded; a surly old kookaburra watched from the top of the carriage with a careful eye. Kelley knew he had to get his paws on that treasure, staying perfectly still so as not to arouse suspicion from the kookaburra guard. Quietly, Kelley chuckled, creeping closer and closer to the caravan before peeking through one of the open windows. It was just within his reach, but Kelley once again found himself in a tricky situation. He remembered something his father once said, 'What you steal from someone today, you'll have to pay your life back tomorrow.' But quickly, a greedy look in his eye would've told anyone that his father's conscience is in another castle. Quickly, he gently propped the door open, only barely managing to wriggle into the back seat of the carriage, making the carriage rumble. The Kookaburra squawked before climbing down from his post. "Oi! Stop that rumblin' in there!" Kelley froze, the bag of money just barely within his grasp. He found himself having to make a choice-leave the gold and spare his life, or foolishly hold onto the attraction of his greed. Unfortunately, greed is slightly higher than common sense, so Kelley grabbed the bag before hurriedly trying to escape. The Kookaburra peered into the carriage, spotting Kelley trying to make away with his stolen goods. "Stop! Thief!" By the time Kelley managed to break free, the entire camp was alert. He had no time to talk, so he chose the dishonourable option-and ran away into the bushes, barely managing to escape with his life.

Ten minutes of running later, Kelley stopped at a nearby gum tree, trying to catch his breath. Hoarsely, he tried laughing, trying to savour the victory of his spoils, but could only wheeze. "That was a bloody close call…but it was worth it." Upon looking at the bag, his eyes grew two sizes big. He could not believe that in one night, he managed to 'earn' more money than anyone in his hometown…and he enjoyed it. "Ho Ho, I am going places!" But then a flash of self-awareness had hit him. "Those people know what I look like….what if one of them knew my father?" Not wanting to debate any further, he tore away a shred of his long-sleeved shirt, before tying it around his mouth. Instinctively, he looked in the mirror and whistled proudly. "Well, aren't you a handsome devil? Of course you are, you're me!" He chuckled, before continuing on his merry way. After all, he didn't want to be dragged tail-first back to his boring old life. Or worse-have it chopped off.

After five minutes of walking, Kelley finally began setting up camp in an abandoned mining cave, starting a fire to warm himself. But as he tried to sleep, Kelley found himself too excited by the adrenaline rush to sleep. Once again, he found himself drawn to the book in his sack. Pulling the thick tome from his sack. Using the fireplace as a light, he opened up the book before reading through the tome. Once his eyes made contact with the timeless accounts of several deceased thieves, Kelley's mind was blown. To think that this book had seemingly chosen him out of nowhere after spending goodness-knows how long languishing in his father's office, and then showing the hundreds of previous owners each adding their own accounts from time long passed, it began to draw him in. From the dawn of history, to the midst of the dark ages, to an unmarked portion of the book, Kelley found himself learning from years of experience. He felt like a child listening to his father's old stories, like he had known the book since he could first walk. Never again would he suffer a close call like the carriage heist.


	3. Chapter 3- Tragedy Long Forgotten

One Month Later:

It was a bright, sunny noon. A caravan of horse-drawn carriages traversed across the bushland trail. All of a sudden, a gunshot halted the caravan's advance. One of the drivers looked up. From the top of a large rock, a stranger stood with a smoking lever-action rifle. Dropping down to the ground, the stranger quickly recovered himself, revealing to be Kelley. Swiftly, Kelley holstered his weapon before calling out, "Stand and deliver!" One of the drivers tried to retreat, but another gunshot stopped him, just as Kelley walked over to the caravan, lever-action rifle in hand as he leaped atop one of the carriages. "Let's make this nice and snappy, mates. I have an itchy trigger paw and I can't stand here all day whilst you're all gawking at how great I look. Handsomely now!" Leaping atop one of the horses, Kelley began charging each of the carriages, taking their monies for himself before placing it all in his sack. When his eyes met with a Lady, he checked himself in the mirror before kissing the Lady's hand. "It has been a pleasure robbing you and your lower-bred cohorts, milady. Just be thankful you met me instead of someone else." As he tried to sweet-talk the Lady, his tail began quickly loosening the straps binding the horse to the lady's carriage. With a satisfying 'snap' sound, Kelley leaped onto the horse and galloped away with his loot, vanishing into the bush as quickly as he appeared. Much to the irritation of the drivers, as evident in one of the drivers, a skunk, threw his top hat to the ground in frustration. "Confound that bloody bushranger!"

After galloping away, Kelley took the time back at his hideout to count his loot. Three ruby rings, a bag of peas, a pearl necklace, and about a thousand pounds, not counting the ten purses he had found them in. Placing his rifle on a wall-mounted rack, Kelley seated himself before the fireplace to write into his diary. "Another successful holdup…could've done better….found that bag of peas I've been searching for since the last heist…oh, and they loved me. Who wouldn't at this point?" Putting away his book, he picked up the tome of the Thievius Raccoonus before tracing his paw along the pages. "Where did I come from, oh book? From the motherland…from up north? Perhaps I came from India? No." Closing the book, he clasped both sides of his head, trying to rack his brain. "Strewth…I know I had to have come from somewhere…." Suddenly he yawned, before he gave up, deciding to sleep on it. Kelley rested on his hammock and closed his eyes, his tail curling around the doorknob, preventing any poor sap from breaking in.

It was then that he fell back into a dreamlike state, though this time he found himself on a beach in the middle of nowhere. The glare of the sun almost blinded him for a moment, forcing him to step back a few paces until he felt his foot touch something wooden. He took his foot off, and was surprised when he saw a wooden chest. Opening the chest, what he found startled him; a kilt wrapped around a cane. The same cane that had haunted him for years. He turned around to see a ghostly apparition, a female raccoon dressed in a strange kilt. She looked towards him with twin eyes of white fire before pointing toward the chest. "Come home son…come home." All of a sudden, she disappeared just as Kelley woke up from his sleep.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration smacked him around the ears. "I'll be stuffed…."Kicking down the door, Kelley took his loot, the book and his gun before mounting his horse. As he rode northwards, he silently cursed himself. "For all the preening I've been doing, I feel like a complete whacker! It's a shag on a rock, I should've seen it coming."

After riding northwards non-stop for what must've been five days, he found himself approaching a coastal valley, just ten miles away from the nearest town. Dismounting his horse, Kelley rushed to the beaches before his eyes were struck with awe. "God strike me pink…." In front of him were the remains of a galleon. Parts of it had drifted away like driftwood, but the bow was unmistakeable. As he searched the ship, he thought to himself, "For a year now, my dreams had been trying to tell me about this ship. I don't know why and I don't know how. But now I'll find out." Suddenly, he found his paws making contact with something soft. Quickly, he digged away the rubble before coming across a skeleton. Frightened, Kelley fell on his back. He was not expecting something like this. But after a while, he noticed that the skeleton was not moving. And that in it's grasp was a piece of cloth. Uneasily, he crept towards the shipwreck before looking at the piece of cloth. "Strewth…this cloth…" He knelt down, visibly shaken. The cloth was blueish brown-the same colour of cloth his father found him wrapped in when he was a baby. On it were the words 'McCooper.' Emotionally shaken, Kelley began to cry after repeatedly whispering to himself, "Don't cry…Don't cry, Kelley…Please don't cr-r-huh-huy…" He embraced the skeleton, hot tears rolling down his eyes. He remembered that embrace. "Muh-Mother….please…don't cry…" All of a sudden, he heard a vague, warm voice saying the same words. "Don't cry…don't cry, my son….my Kelley McCooper…." Kelley replied, choking back the tears. "She'll be right Mum…she'll be right…"


	4. Chapter 4- To the Sunset, We Ride

A Day Later:

Burying the remains of his deceased mother, Kelley bowed respectfully before the grave. Before yesterday, he had hoped to find his mother alive and well. It would've been perfect for him to have known where he came from. Placing a ruby on the grave, Kelley stood up before clearing his throat to speak. "At the very least, mum, I've buried you proper-like. It's not right…" He held his tongue, before breathing outwards for a moment. "…I know it's not right that I should leave you 'ere, mum. I-I…Strewth…I feel like a bloody goose. Look, what I'm trying to spit out is….I would've liked us to have been together, y'know? I would've liked to grow up with you, liked to know which old mob an' where I came from instead o' crashing 'ere beyond the Black stump. I would've wanted….to be accepted for who I am, instead o' being kicked about like a dero in a tin. So, um-I guess this is goodbye, then. Rest in peace…hope everything's bonzer up in heaven.."

Choking back a tear, Kelley sat on top of his stolen horse and left the jewels behind, beginning the long trek back to his hideout. Odd that he had never felt an iota of loneliness up until this point, but something in his fur told him his mother must be smiling down on him from heaven. And indeed she was, so Kelley told himself as he rode away from the shipwreck. Turning his head back for the briefest of moments, he breathed a sigh before riding on just as he told himself, "Time for me to ride northwards. Now that I've made up with me past, looks like there's a bright future for me." Suddenly the horse brayed, making Kelley chuckle a bit as he petted the horse's mane. "Fair shake o' the bean tin, my four-legged cobber. Don't think I've left you out just yet. This is just the dawn of a new sun fer us. Although…" All of a sudden, he altered his course, riding to the east with a new objective in mind. "Strewth, guess I'll have to make it up to the old hog first…thanks, mum."

Back in the small town of Bonnydoon, Yorkie was busy cleaning up the grease from the kitchen bench. With a heavy sigh, he brushed the sweat from his brow. Looking out the star-speckled window, he wondered to himself, 'Blimey…I'd bring a plate to a pommy's picnic just to know where that boy's gone.' With a sad sigh, he sat in a flimsy stool. "'E's pro'lly laughin' it up somewhere in the bush..or gone wanderin' into the sheep dip swamp…Kelley, wherever you are, at least gimme a sign!" A loud knock attracted Yorkie's attention, making him stand up quickly. "Whazzat?! Come out, ya mongrel!" Yorkie opened the shack door, only to see on the doorstop a calling card and a large bag of gold coins. Curiously, Yorkie knelt down to pick up the card, his eyes widening upon seeing the handwriting. "God strike me…this is ridgy-didge." Looking at the handwriting, the message read 'G'day, you old sour prawn. How's business going, fair dinkum? Just wanted to let you know I'm doing peachy for a bushrangin' scoundrel, and I've even left you a little something extra. No matter what happens, whenever we fight, or argue, or step on each other's tails, I want you to know that you'll always be me dear old dad. Oh, one last thing. Don't scratch the card. Signed, the wonderful Kelley McCooper." Yorkie let out a loud cheer. "You cheeky ripper! You're alright!" He picked up the bag, before opening it to reveal twelve score pounds in silver. "God bless you, Kelley McCooper!"

Hearing his father's uproarious shout of praise, Kelley smiled from atop a hill overlooking the town. He couldn't help but feel flattered, galloping off back to his hideout. He smiled a self-serving smile. 'And good luck to you, dad. Just thank your stars you met me." And with a flash, any trace of that ring-tailed bushranger vanished into the bush. With this gesture, thus truly begins the tale of Kelley McCooper.


	5. Chapter 5- The Great Locomotive Heist

Two Months Later: The Outback

The sound of a steam locomotive filled the air as it raced across the railway, a large puff of smoke billowing from it's large chimney. Inside one of the carriages, a small contingency of dingo Troopers were patrolling the train entrance and exit doors, guarding what looked like a golden case. One of the dingo Troopers checked out of the window, before nudging his rifle at something in the distance. "Oy, mates, have a gander at this." A slightly older dingo looked over his shoulder, before shaking his head. "I dunno what's attracted your attention, guv'ner. Beyond the black stump, it is out there. Now keep your deadlights open." A third dingo checked the condition of his rifle, meticulously wiping away particles of dust as he added. "She'll be right, guv. Whoever gains the bearings to hijack this train's got buckley's chance getting out. At least, not without three bullet holes in his gullet." The second dingo began scoffing at the idea. "Too right. That'll go swimmingly with the pommy git in charge. What 'appens if this box gets nicked? I'll tell yer. Not a boat back to blighty."

But little did they know that a conspicuous pair of eyes picked up the unhealthy discharge of smoke in the outback. Behind the cover of a mountain, Kelley McCooper was biding his time, modifying a weapon he took from a guard nearby whom he had helpfully knocked unconscious before tying him up to a tree. Kelley finished the modifications to a stolen lever-action rifle before he walked back over to his horse. Momentarily, he stopped to pat the unconscious guard before whispering, "Thanks copper, you're a real bottler. Give my regards to the Troopers when you wake up." Hopping atop his horse, Kelley rode toward the train, holstering his newly modified lever-action rifle in case he needed it.

From inside the carriage holding the Troopers, one of them heard a thump on the roof. The sergeant cuffed one of the two guards around the ear, whilst remarking, "Care to make any more noise, you bloody great dunce!" The guard snarled, but did not retort just as the second guard spied a white horse running away. He tried taking a shot with his rifle, but missed when the train began slowing down. Silently, the bloodthirsty guard cursed himself for not taking the shot.

Kelley, meanwhile, was precariously balancing on a small wire linking the guard carriage and the main passenger carriage. Evidently, whilst the leap from the back of his horse to this very narrow spot made him feel jumpy, Kelley's eyes were distracted by the treasure box located within the guard carriage. Naturally, Kelley felt a strong compulsion to break in through the entrance. But then Kelley thought to himself 'Where's the fun in being predictable?' before nimbly leaping onto the top of the guard carriage. Carefully, he rummaged through his back pocket before coming across a rope and a hook….and tossing it away. Instead, he used a more unconventional way to break inside; messing with their heads.

Cheekily, Kelley edged himself closer to the entrance, using his tail as a form of gripping onto the rails before dropping a small package into a gap of the door, eagerly awaiting the chaos to come.

Inside the guard carriage, the sergeant began hearing a loud popping noise before calling out, "Alright, who opened their lunch? Come on, no funny business, one of you dishonest blighters own up." The youngest guard, the one with the rifle, snarled before replying, "Don't stare your deadlights at me, ya mongrel. I said nothing to yer." The sergeant grumbled before poking the rude guard. "Watch your tongue mate, or I'll box yer ears. Now who's making that noise?" The third guard snarled before yelling, "Shut up! The both o' ye! One of us is making that accursed noise, and it is not me."

Kelley smiled in glee as he heard the guards arguing about the loud noise, before opening the hatch and using his tail to grab the box. Once he pulled the box out of the train, he replaced it with his calling card before leaping back onto his horse.

By the time one of the guards saw the victorious Kelley riding away, the sergeant looked towards where the box would've been located before growling in anger. Kicking down the door, the sergeant glared at the retreating figure before he shook his fist, whilst yelling out, "I'll see you hanged, McCooper! Do you hear me? You'll hang for this!"

As he rode away in the outback sun, Kelley placed a paw over his ear mockingly before taking a brief moment to marvel his new prize before riding back to his hideout with his prize.


	6. Chapter 6- All The Pieces Fall Together

His new hideout was a small shack hidden away from the railway, where he stored his various belongings. After dismounting from his horse and herding it into the stables, he rested himself on the hammock inside the hideout. As he relaxed in the hammock, Kelley began writing in his old diary, newly redecorated with his calling card insignia. But despite his carefree heist, his brow seemed troubled. 'Dear Diary' Kelley wrote, 'Over the past few months, I've been investigating what could've sunken that ship. Namely by pinching anything the nobs couldn't nail down to the ground. Tax records from the Victorian coastline. Records from ships in the same area. And I found bumpkins about the incident. But a little bird told me that a train carrying a special package to the Duke of Victoria would've been passing through a secret passage in the outback. Well, at least it was until I nicked it from their unwashed ears. Though speaking of which, I wonder what all the jibba-jabba's about this parcel?" Predictably answering his own curiosity, he placed aside the diary before placing the newly-acquired box in his lat to examine. As he used a lockpick to open the box, he amused himself by humming a tune from his childhood, 'The Wild Colonial Fox'. When the box opened, Kelley found a strange jewel. Shrugging at first, he placed it aside only to find a papery invitation inside. "Ello, what's this?" Carefully pulling it out, he read it aloud. "To the Duke of Victoria, you have been invited to attend the Third Annual Colonial Trade Negotiations from Her Majesty, the Queen Victoria." Kelley placed the invitation back in the box before checking himself in the mirror. He groaned upon seeing his fur slightly ruffled, before fixing it, saying to himself "Better look spick-spot peachy for this occasion. After all, I am going to be the prized jewel o' this event, better for me to arrive my best than by looking like a drab old Bushranger."

After spending five hours straightening his fur, dusting his clothes and prettying himself up for the Event [including a dark blue longcoat], Kelley holstered his characteristic rifle before smiling wide, checking himself with his pocket mirror. "Let's see….whiskers cropped…check. Head-fur straight…check. Teeth whitened…check. Righto, let's get going." Walking outside, Kelley then mounted himself atop the saddle of his horse before riding away from his hideout. As he combed his head fur, he began thinking along the way, 'Even fate loves my good looks so much as to drop a newly hatched opportunity into my lap. If anyone would know about what happened fifteen years ago off the coast from the motherland, perhaps one of the dukes would hopefully shed light on this mystery.'

After two days and a night, Kelley finally arrived on the outskirts of Old Botany Bay, just in time to pick off the many wealthy travellers heading to the event one by one. Checking himself in the mirror one last time, Kelley finally prepared himself for the regular schedule.

And just in time, for the first one coming across the road came a band of Troopers escorting a band of musicians from overseas. Smiling deviously, Kelley seemingly vanished from sight, moving slowly to get into position. Then just as the musician carriage passed by, Kelley leaped onto the back of the carriage, slowly siphoning away the coins from all three of the foreign musicians before leaping away, leaving behind a calling card.

The second carriage was a tightly guarded cart with Troopers following close behind. Although this time, one of the guards saw Kelley moving from the trees. "Men, over by the bushes is that thief, Kelley McCooper! Fire!" The entire group of Troopers fired volleys at the figure, only for it to fall over. Excitedly, the entire assembly of Troopers evacuated the wagon to check to body. "Steady now," one of them spoke, "he might be breathing." Poking the figure twice, the sergeant turned the figure over-revealing a wooden dummy. Suddenly, the cart started moving again, with the previous driver, a fat vole, tossed to the side whilst it's new driver victoriously drove away. However, the sergeant fired a shot at the retreating thief.

Kelley winced as the Trooper's shot grazed his arm. He looked at his jacket, now covered in dust and with his blood clotting the cloth. Quickly, Kelley disposed of the coat, covering his wound whilst grumbling, "So much for being discreet. Now I'll have to get a new coat-because of a lucky potshot."

After a none-too-dignified retreat, Kelley entered the city of Freemantle under the disguise of a fisherman before he began climbing the walls of a nearby house. Taking a while to recover his strength, whilst he was busily tying a shred of cloth to his wound, a spectacular sight could be seen from the rooftops of Freemantle. In the town centre, a pair of royal Corgis, a tall German Shepherd-cross and a purebred, but quite stout female, were busily greeting the crowds of excited Australians surrounding the building. This was no ordinary event, for the two corgis greeting the crowds were the Royal Couple, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Clearing her throat, the Queen delivered her message to the public. "Faithful servants of the British Empire, I consider this opportunity an honour to be visiting this significant patch of the Great British Sun. There is nary a doubt that a significant part of the world's history will be taking place here in this patch of heaven." Albert whispered to Victoria, his fur remaining still. "Your majesty, the duke of Victoria is absent," only for Victoria to whisper back, "So I see, Albert. Send a few guards to find him, and if he doesn't turn his head, the meeting will resume as normal." Albert solemnly nodded just as the Queen maintained her image with the public.

Once the blood stopped spilling from his arm, Kelley climbed to the top of the chimney before leaping from chimney to chimney, careful not to lose focus and drop to the streets below. Just as he landed on the last chimney in Oxton Street, he turned his head to notice the Town Hall. He pulled the invitation out from his pocket before placing it back in his pocket, 'Too right, that must be the place all the pommies are yodelling about. Best not stall', just as he made his way toward the Town Centre, sticking to the rooftops.

Once Kelley arrived at the Town Centre, he began scaling the walls of Town Centre. Under the protection of the shadows, he tried looking for an easy way into the building without being spotted by any of the guards below, or inside some of the windows. Frustrated, Kelley grumbled to himself, "A door, two guards and some treasure in a small shack. Why didn't I think twice before stealing that stupid box?" Finally, Kelley found an entrance, using his tail to open the window before climbing inside the window-and inside was the kitchen. Strangely, it was empty, much to Kelley's surprise. But he kept his mind away from food, instead focusing on a primary goal; stealing anything valuable that isn't nailed down or weighs more than he does. Prowling around the kitchen floor, Kelley exited the room to reveal a staircase. Kelley descended from the staircase before he opened the door to an unexpected sight-the empty council chamber. Everywhere across the room, gold, silver, jewels, prizes from all across the world-all in this one room. Stubbornly, Kelley tried closing the door, remembering why he came to this building. "Finding the Duke o' New South Wales….finding the duke o' New South Wales…" Reluctantly, he closed the door before sticking to his plan.

Meanwhile in the great hall, the Duke of New South Wales, a brawny crocodile, was on his way to the meeting room. But as he entered the staircase, he was met with a repeater rifle aimed at his snout from a shadowy figure. This figure was Kelley, but he did not want to be seen by the obviously strong Duke. "G'day, scalebelly" Kelley said, before asking him a question, "What do you know about the MacCooper family?" The Duke snarled, barely restraining himself. "MacCooper? I do not know a word you say, stranger. Rack off, or I will skin your hide." Kelley chuckled, cocking the rifle whilst maintaining a cold tone. "Pig's Crack. Victoria. Seventeen years ago. Shipwreck. That boat was owned by the MacCoopers, a Scottish vessel. What happened?" Suddenly, a flash of realisation lit up the Duke's eyes. He snarled, this time in amusement. "MacCooper…Yes, I remember perfectly well…" Suddenly, Kelley was gripped by the Duke's reptilian claws, making him drop the rifle just as the Duke explained. "That ship was not supposed to reach these shores. If anything, it was supposed to lead the occupants to a watery grave. I know because I was the one who sabotaged the ship." Kelley's eyes widened with horror. The duke chuckled, his hand still at Kelley's throat. "And yet I distinctly recall there being three other passengers aboard that same ship. A Cooper wench, her spouse and an ankle-biter too." Kelley's throat felt dry, yet he couldn't deliver a single retort just as the duke looked closer at the bushranger's eyes. "So…the MacCooper clan did survive the incident. Not for much longer." He dropped Kelley to the ground before the duke added, "Now if you shall excuse me, mate, I have the fate of this rock to decide. And I'm fair dinkum sure my master will be very pleased to see you fall." Though mysteriously, the duke helped Kelley up, but not out of compassion. "I want you alive, McCooper. Alive so that when I find the rest of your kin, and the book, you will die knowing everything you cherished shall be lost forever." Silently, the crocodile duke left a battered and bruised Kelley in his wake. Though Kelley was not one to give up, as evident when he staggered to his feet and hobbled up the staircase. 'I-I will not die...' Kelley thought to himself, '...a failure….mother...I'm coming...' Only to find an open window and plummet to the back of a passing hay cart, just as it rolled away from the city gates.


	7. Chapter 7- Underneath An Iron Wing

**Author's Note: G'day mates. Sorry I haven't been responding to comments lately, but I thought I might make it up to you all through a quick update:**

**1. I might be planning an epilogue story in the near future. Emphasis on Might, depends on who would be interested.**

**2. For those of you who have a DeviantArt page, don't worry I'll post the completed story in full. **

**3. Guess Who's Here.**

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Five Days Ago:

The meeting between the Dukes of Australia began to take place. Various creatures from across the continent; the Duke of Western Australia sat on his seat holding a wine glass, as rigid as an iceberg. The Duke of Van Damien's Land seated with two concubines by his side. The Duke of the Northern Territories, feasting on a leg of Lamb. The Duke of Victoria, his seat strangely absent. And finally, the Duke of New Zealand, holding a clavicle as he began the meeting. "Counts o' Australia," the Kiwi said in a high-pitched voice as he saw the Queen and Prince walk in to the meeting, "The Third Annual Colonial Trade Negotiations are now in session!" He bowed respectfully before the queen. "Your majesty, would you care to have the first word?" The queen nodded solemnly before she began to speak. "Members of the Australian Parliament. It has been several years since the Eureka Incident took place in the Heart of this country, almost tearing one of the British Empire's youngest and proudest colonial lands asunder. For ten years, twice we have all discussed the Future of not only this country, but of the Empire as a whole. Duke Norman, of Van Damien's Land." The womanizing Duke looked toward his queen before he began speaking. "I sadly wish to report that due to the resurgence of strikes in the Workplace, progress on monitoring the deposit of Salt has been ground to a halt, as of recently, Marm." The queen raised an eyebrow. "How long have these strikes been interfering with trade routes between Your land and the Zealander Isles?" "About five weeks, Marm." The queen sat back in her throne. "I see. Do you know what could have caused these outbreaks of violence?" The Duke of New South Wales began to speak up. "Milady, it is my belief that the populace are growing disobedient. Because of these…bushrangers they worship." "Bushrangers?" Albert asked, only for the brawny duke to nod solemnly. "Aye. Outlaws, murderers, thieves all of them. And the people worship them like patron saints. They have forgotten the strong arm of the British Empire, and see these outlaws as champions, as freedom fighters." Queen Victoria casted her gaze over to the crocodile before speaking. "Sir Duke, perhaps you might have a solution, given how you feel so strongly against these outlaws." The crocodile gave a vicious smile before replying, "I encountered one in these halls, majesty. And this was what he dropped." All of a sudden, the Duke laid the stolen invitation on the table. Queen Victoria asked, "And what of this outlaw? Where is he now?" The crocodile laid back in his seat, lying through his teeth. "I have dealt with him, your majesty. Though I suggest that given a mere thief has found his way inside these halls, immediate action should be required. This empire will tolerate civil disobedience no longer, milady. For when these Bushrangers are hung, only then will our little secret circle be kept secret from the common folk and only then will our Empire prosper." One by one, the Dukes voiced their opinion. "An outrage! You propose slavery and intimidation of the British people!" "I for one agree with the Duke of New South Wales. Action is needed!" "But think of the cost!" "All an end to justify the means, and that means is the safety of the British Public!" Casually, the Duke left the meeting room, letting the lesser Dukes argue among themselves.

Shortly, the Duke of New South Wales made his way out of the royal building before he stopped near an abandoned well. He pushed a block near the well, and it opened up, revealing a spiral staircase. Carefully watching his own back, the Duke then made his way down the staircase, in his coat-pocket Kelley's calling card. Finally, he reached a dungeon door, before he opened the lock. Upon reaching another door, a gravelly voice asked him a cryptic question. "What is the Name of the Sun?" Only for the duke to clear his throat, just before answering. "Atenhotep be the Sun's name." Suddenly, the metal door in front of the crocodile opened up, revealing a creature enveloped in shadows. "Al-Kruhuk, state thy reason why you have disturbed my slumber." The duke answered, bowing respectfully before the creature in the shadows. "Almighty Child of Atenhotep, I have come to deliver a warning." The voice spoke again, a yellow eye glaring from the creature's bowels. "Speak, Al-Kruhuk." Al-Kruhuk replied. "The shipwreck off Victoria's coast has failed." The eye glowed angrily, as the creature shouted. "What is this sorcery?!" Al-Kruhuk maintained his stone glare. "One of the downed ship's occupants has survived. His name be MacCooper. Kelley MacCooper. Son of the wench who retreated from the Scottish Isles." The eye glowed once more, revealing a silver talon. "Cooper….the accursed ringtail legacy still continues….where is this survivor?" "He lies battered and bruised outside these city walls, but I have his calling card." Suddenly, the talon swiped the card away from Al-Kruhuk's hand. "You incompetent fool! All like his kind must be purged! If he recovers his strength, it will only be a matter of time before he finds the Truth." The calling card was reduced to a crumpled mess as the talon closed itself. "He must not leave this island….alive." As shreds of paper fell to the ground, the voice began to laugh, echoing into the night.

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_**slycooper11: Thank you for the compliment, I'll see if I can work harder.**_

_**ForeverFreelancer: You are very welcome. And I am flattered, especially coming from a talented writer **__**such**_ as yourself.


	8. Chapter 8- High Noon In Down Under

His body numbed with pain from head to toe, Kelley found himself reliving memories from a year ago. His mind drifted back to the earlier days of his Bushranging career, putting together the pieces as to why he even ended up _in_ this mess to begin with.

Almost a day after he left Bonnydoon, Kelley stopped at the nearest tavern to quench his thirst. Tying the horse's harness to a wooden pole, Kelley walked inside, pushing the door open. Inside were an assembly of Bushrangers, retired Troopers and other ne'er do-wells from across the continent. He made his way over to the stool. As he sat down, an Irish rat walked over to Kelley's stool before asking, "Cripes, another bushranger I take it, boy? What would ye like in this little rathole?" As he rummaged through his back pocket, a cloaked stranger sat beside him before answering in his stead, placing three coins on the counter. "One mug of ginger ale for my companion." The rat took the coins without question before filling his young customer's mug. As Kelley took his mug, he winked cheekily. "Apples, mate." But as he tried to drink, the stranger leant closer, whispering in his ear "He comes." Kelley looked toward the stranger, his fur bristling with anxiety, yet he didn't know why. He asked the stranger, "Who comes?", only for the stranger to ramble on instead of actually answering the question, "He comes! From the sky, he shall spell thy doom! His voice. His eye. His heart. All of it, pure evil. And thou shallt do thyself well avoiding His judgement, MacCooper." At the mentioning of his name, Kelley placed aside the mug before asking, "Who's evil and why are you babbling about like a mad cockatoo?" The stranger gripped Kelley's tunic before answering almost in riddles. "Four knocks shall mark His coming to the Fool's door. Four loved ones shall perish. For until He has the Tome of the Ringtail, shall He destroy everything thou cherishth the most…the talons….jagged…as….rocks…."

Before anyone in the bar knew it, the stranger limply dropped from his stool, motionless. Frightened, Kelley knelt next to the stranger, shaking his shoulders as he asked the stranger. "Mate, who's Him? Why would He want to kill me? How do you know my name? What do I have to do with Him? Mate! Open your deadlights, please!" As he threw back the hood, his face turned a sickly shade of pale. The cloaked stranger's eyes had clouded over. He wasn't moving. Or getting up. Or breathing. For the first time, Kelley felt horrified as he came to the realization of the Old Beast's words. Jagged rocks….the same rocks from his mother's watery grave! The same cursed place he had to put her to rest in. The same cursed place that robbed him of a family. As he rushed outside of the tavern, freeing his horse from the pole before settling himself atop the steed, he furiously drove it south, the stranger's cryptic words suddenly becoming a lot clearer than he realised. Until tonight, this information didn't seem so obvious up until now, he thought. How could a mere shipwreck happen by accident? Let alone, how did the stranger know who he was and where he was, let alone know anything about something that happened long before he could remember. Unless…the accident had to have been planned. And this Him might have had something to do with the incident.

Finally arriving back at the shipwreck, Kelley dismounted his beast before carefully examining the ship's hull when he reached the shore. 'Hmm….nothing too sussed about this place…'ang on." His eye caught something in the wreckage. Brushing aside the splintering wood, Kelley suddenly unearthed the belly of the ship that birthed him and spelled an end to his family. Taking a deep breath, Kelley opened the door to the brig before venturing forth into the dark belly of the wounded beast.

Carrying a lantern, Kelley searched through waterlogged belly of the ship, uncovering only bones and driftwood mixing with the strench of rotting flesh. His snout contorted in disgust. He hated that foul smell from his butchering days, but still, he kept moving through the waterlogged hull until he found himself at the far end, waist-deep in water. 'Ugh' he thought, 'wet ankle fur. Unless I want to look like the first Walking Cactus, I had better finish this quickly…." Suddenly, he gasped. The light of the lantern revealed a claw mark. A very large claw mark. He placed his paw over the ugly gash in the side of what had to have been a beautiful ship in its' heyday. 'Stone the crows…this wasn't just some true blue stuff-up with the rocks. This was sabotage.'

Carefully, Kelley ripped an old wanted poster from the wall before he began tracing over the claw mark with great haste. 'If I don't make it snappy, then once the tide drags itself in,' he thought, 'I'll end up skewed on the rocks.' When he was finished, Kelley waded out from the belly of the ship. Once he reached shore, he tucked the parchment into a pocket strapped to the saddle before mounting it again, riding away from the scene before a Tracker could pick up his tracks.

Meanwhile, one lonely night, a lone bartender finished cleaning up the floors. Hearing a noise, he stopped. Looking toward the door, he saw it just billowing open and shut, as if some large cat ran inside, quick as a lightning bolt. Turning around, he shouted in fright. "Gah! It's closing time, mate. And 'ow'd you get in 'ere?" As if to answer his question, a cloaked stranger seated on a wooden table looked up to see the bartender. "Don't mind me, partner. I'm just some traveller come down from yonder up north. Give us a mug, will ya, chief?" Reluctantly, the bartender placed a wooden mug underneath the tap of a large wooden barrel. Handing the mug over to the stranger, he remarked, noticing the stranger's distinctive accent. "You're not from around these parts, are ye, coppa?" The cloaked stranger chuckled, grinning whilst holding a stubby cigar in his mouth. Dusting a few ashes from his cigar, he placed it back into his mouth, taking a swig from the mug before answering the bartender's question. "Guess you could say that, partner." "What's your business here then, stranger?" The cloaked stranger grinned wide. "Family matters, chief. I've come to settle family matters with a certain treasure that my folks lost. An' I'm here to track it down, bring it back safely. Everyone's a winner." Looking up, the bartender saw a familiar figure underneath that hood. "Y-you're one o' those devil Coopers!" Slowly, the figure pulled away his hood, revealing a medium-sized raccoon, middle-aged, yet still with a wild, bouncy fire in his eyes. "B.F Cooper, fastest thief in th' west. An' this…" Before the bartender could react, B.F had a revolver drawn, with the Coopers' signature hook as the hilt. "Is as far as I can go without stealin' at least _one_ gold piece. Now, where'd you last see the son o' the gun who stole my great-grandpappy's big ol' book?" The bartender stuttered before pointing west. "Out west o' here. Just past Trooper territory." B.F's eyebrows cocked, before his head tilted to the side. "Troopers? Oh, you mean them Redcoats. They won't see me comin'." All of a sudden, just as the bartender closed his eyes in fear, upon hearing nothing behind him, he turned around, frightened like a rat in an airlock.


	9. Chapter 9- Of Gunpowder and Scowly Faces

**Author's Note: And here's the moment you've all been waiting for with baited breath [please, hold your applause] as the two Coopers finally meet each other for the first time. And like all failed comedies, hijinks shall ensue. **

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Five Days Later:

"Well, lookie here. Ain't we all wide-eyed an' perky t'day?" As he woke up from the dream, Kelley opened his bleary eyes to reality. He was still in the back of the cart, but when he looked out from the cart, he realised he wasn't in Freemantle, and that the cart he had found himself in was busily trudging through the bush. As if every bone in his body ached, Kelley found himself unable to move, even as a stranger looked back at him, smiling. "Not every day you come across a live cadaver in yer cart." Kelley's eyes suddenly widened. The stranger's face looked no older than twenty-five, but it was indistinguishably almost exactly like his own. But whereas Kelley's pelt was dirt-brown, the ring tailed stranger's fur was as grey as smoke. "Th-thanks mate. Real bottler you are..." Suddenly, his snout pressed against the cold steel of a custom-made revolver. "Now," B.F drawled, "spill the beans, you bush-dwellin' varmint. That rifle a' yers, it's got the Cooper mark. Where'd ya get it?" Kelley felt offended, his tail curling around the rifle protectively. "Aren't we as friendly as a bush viper. Well let me tell ya, mr. Yankee drongo. This 'rifle' is the hand-crafted apple o' one Kelley MacCooper's eye. Second, as much as I'm flattered to be...kidnapped...by some gun-slinging' dag, my handsome face that brings the sheilas shouldn't have some amateur piece of scrap-metal squishing it like a rotten tomato." Suddenly, B.F stopped the cart, turning to his prisoner before snapping, "I don't fancy yer lip, kiddo. But don't you ever sully MY family name by associatin' it with yer worthless hide." Kelley retorted, "Speak for yeself, cowboy whacker. Unlike you, I have the blue book." BF's left eye twitched, slightly irritated. "Blue book? Ya mean the Thievius Raccoonus, one o' the Cooper Clan's most treasured relics, is in the possession o' some half-pint bushranger?!" Kelley nodded, before again retorting "Oi! Half-pint yourself. It's four feet tall, and you know it." The older Cooper stared at Kelley in silence. Then, as the cart began moving again, an uproarious laughter erupted from the foriegner. "Four...four feet high?" The stranger held his stomach, trying not to laugh so hard, "yer barely an inch! An' I don't see no chest fur or anythin' suggestin' otherwise." Kelley just glared at him as the cart drove onward, before he tried reaching for a piece of paper. When his paw gripped empty air, he realised that his lair had been compromised. His captor was taking him back to his lair, like a naughty cub being frogmarched back home.

Upon arriving, the stranger dismounted from his horse before letting Kelley loose. He chuckled at Kelley's silence, his tail still curled around the younger raccoon's custom-made rifle. "Careful wi' that thing, kiddo. You might shoot yerself in the tail. Lemme give you somethin' a little more….suitable." Kelley tried standing up, but winced in pain, only for the foreigner to lift him off of the carriage and into the hideout. All the while, Kelley tried entertaining himself with thoughts of shooting his captor….if not for the fact that the stranger not only seemed more experienced, but judging from his impatient pace, it was fair to say his revenge would be as likely as a four-leaved clover in a gumtree. When they reached the door, Kelley opened the lock with his tail, smirking when he heard the lock unbuckle. Unfortunately, his companion was less patient, kicking down the door with an impatient thump before resting Kelley on his hammock. "Ack!" Kelley winced, before glaring at the American outlaw. "Will you stop rushing for a tick?" But the rugged outlaw just leaned against the door, looking at him with mild affection. "Can't do. 's either whiz-bang speed or slow as a slug. 'Sides, you do look kinda cute in that there hammock." Kelley snapped, "Stop treating me like an ankle-biter, ya Yankee-Doodle Dunce" only for B.F to holster his pistol, resting his feet on the table as he shook his head. "Well excuse me. Ain't we th' high-an' mighty type?" Kelley quickly corrected him, "That's Figjam, old cobber." B.F Cooper tipped his hat before he began looking for the Thievieus Raccoonus. Casually, Kelley rested back on his hammock, smugly smiling as the yankee cowboy tried in vain to find his book. "Consarn it.." B.F thought to himself, scrounging through the messy quarters of the bushranger. "Di'n't yer pa ever teach ya t' clean yer quarters? It's as messy as a pig's sty, an' half as interestin'." Kelley held a cane-shaped key in his paw, before showing it to B.F. "Oi, bushwacker! Ya forgot this detail. I always keep the book locked up nice 'n' tight." B.F breathed a sigh of relief before taking the key, just as Kelley directed the outlaw to a plain-looking safe. Next to the dial was a key-shaped hole for the bushranger's odd key. Following Kelley's instructions, B.F opened the safe to find the book inside, in perfect condition. "Good Mary Joseph…I could just KISS you, kid!" B.F took the book from the safe. But it felt strangely light in his paws. At first, B.F thought it was just his excitement getting to him….only for the hardcover to fall from his paws, revealing a cardboard cut-out of the Cooper insignia with a bandana covering its' mouth. Naturally, B.F felt outraged that his own long-lost kin would stab him in the back like that. Kelley, in the meantime, was laughing his head off. "Oh you pore ol' dag. Did ye really have a bead on a butcher's son? As if I would make it that easy to find." Suddenly, B.F lost his temper. He turned to Kelley before drawing his pistol. "You low-down, no-brain, spoilt rotten….MacCooper!" Kelley drew his weapon with his tail, just as B.F cocked his revolver. For nine minutes, the two of them looked at each other with hateful eyes, one keeping an eye on the other's movement, dead silence. Then B.F holstered his revolver before issuing a challenge. "Alright, half-pint, you got me good. But only one of us will leave this here shack wi' the book. Best o' three, three challenges. If I win, I take the book an' leave you here to rot." Kelley thought for a while, before calling his challenge. "Alright, mate. Fair shake o' the frying pan. But if I win, I get to keep the book until I turn old and grey, just as Fate intended it be." B.F took two steps before shaking his teenage cousin's paw. "Deal, ya ring-tailed bushwhacker."


	10. Chapter 10- May the Best Win

A Day Later:

"Awright, kid, here's th' first challenge." B.F pointed toward a bank in a nearby town. Kelley chuckled at the objective. "A bank robbery? Please. This is just too _easy_." But just as Kelley tried riding up ahead, B.F stopped him before explaining the challenge in full "But here's th' trick. Y'have t' git in there cozy-like without bein' spotted by them guards patrollin' the roof. If ya do, then yer disqualified. No cheatin', no tryin' t'cut me off, an' we meet back at th' hideout t' compare th' loot. Got it?" Kelley scoffed at the offer before bucking his horse. "Just so you know, my backwater cousin, I eat train robberies like a cow eats grass. This'll be child's play for one o' my talents." B.F rolled his eyes, before bucking his horse. "Then let's ride t' riches, little dawgie!" And with a flash, the two Coopers headed for the town.

Kelley dismounted just short of the local tavern before looking around himself for cover. Anything that would be useful for sneaking inside the bank. His eye then caught something almost irresistible; a barrel. When he spotted a cart heading his way, he leaped into one of the barrels before he felt the barrels being lifted into the cart. 'Now to play the waiting game, 'til I get to the bank. Then, it's showtime.' Kelley chuckled to himself as he felt the cart taking him closer to the bank.

Meanwhile, B.F arrived closer to the bank. Like an acrobatic bullet, he took off, ducking, bobbing and weaving straight to his target. 'The Thievieus Raccoonus, here I come. Let's see that bratty imposter try t' sneak past me.' Quickly, B.F checked the streets for an easier passage into the Bank. Finally, he found one-a group of praying tortoises were heading from the cathedral to their mission. 'Lady luck, I could just kiss ya!', B.F thought as he slipped into the crowd.

Back at the bank, Kelley felt the cart stop. He peered out of a small crack in the wood, revealing that he was close in proximity to the back door of the bank. He could almost smell the gold coins from the barrel. Suddenly, he felt his barrel being unloaded along with the other barrels. 'Cor! I'm within cooee o' the objective. Now to wait until that door opens and that gold'll be as good as-well, mine.' Once the barrel he was hiding in is placed on the ground, he peeked out of the crack to see a dingo checking each one of the barrels. Silently, Kelley cursed himself. 'Up in the creek, and without a paddle…' When the dingo came over to Kelley's barrel, he looked inside to find….nothing. And the door was still wide open, the pitter-pattering of a gleeful raccoon's footsteps echoing silently up the stairs.

Outside the bank, B.F slipped away from the crowd of turtles like a quick rattlesnake, still undetected even as he slipped past the security guards and entered the storeroom. Suspicious, his eyes twitched slightly, checking around himself for a variety of routes, both upstairs and downstairs, before deciding on climbing an alternate flight of stairs. Quickly, he zipped up the stairs, licking his lips with glee. 'Oh ho, fortune, here comes Pappy Cooper!'

Kelley stopped climbing the stairs when he came across a locked door labelled 'Private'. After picking the lock with his tail, Kelley entered the room to find the vault ripe for the taking. He began filling the potato sack with money from the vault, chuckling as he could practically _taste_ his place as member of the Cooper Family before clearing out with the loot.

Suddenly, B.F arrived in the vault, only to miss Kelley by about a minute. "What in tarnation?" He looked out the window to see Kelley slipping out from the bank on his horse, only for the young bushranger to cheekily blink at his older cousin before riding back to the hideout with his loot.

By the time B.F came back to the hideout, Kelley was already counting his loot before asking his cousin, "G'day cobber. Yer not mad as a cut snake, are ya?" B.F was furious. "Why you cheatin' varmint…." Kelley just laughed his head off, amused by his cousin's red face. B.F sat at the table before issuing a new challenge. "Alright slick, you got lucky that time. But you won't win the next exercise."

The Next Day:

Now came the second challenge between B.F and Kelley. B.F prepared the table, placing a barrel of stolen ale beside the table just as he measured the two pints. 'This'll be sure ta blow th' pantaloons from that kid's waist.' Kelley entered the shack door before spotting the barrel of ale. He looked at it before asking B.F, "Where'd you fetch the lager? Beyond the Black Stump?" B.F chuckled before answering, "Naw, kid, this is MY barrel o' grog. I'm organizing a drinkin' competition for the Book. First one to chug that barrel dry without fallin' over unconscious wins the Book, an' with it official custody o' the Cooper Legacy." Kelley cracked his knuckles eagerly. "Too right!" But just as he sat down, B.F lightly slapped his hand away. "Nuh-uh, junior. You're too young for a man's ale. 'Sides, you get cider." He indicated towards a barrel of Apple Cider, the same size as B.F's barrel of ale.

As soon as the two Coopers sat next to their barrels, B.F set the timer before counting down the minutes. "Five….four…three…two….one! Chug!" As soon as the clock chimed, both Coopers began drinking away. At first it seemed B.F had the advantage, due to his quicker-than-usual metabolism and speed, Kelley dragging behind. But unbeknownst to Kelley, B.F grinned maliciously. 'As if I would let that pint-sized rookie get along scot-free. Hee-hee!'

Soon Kelley felt drowsy from the amount of Cider he had been drinking. His vision went blurry, his throat felt swollen and he could barely continue drinking. But despite that, Kelley kept trying to catch up with his older cousin. He was determined to keep the book, no matter what would happen. He drank his pint dry, before refilling the glass, his cardigan sticky with dried cider.

After twenty-two minutes, empty pint glasses surrounded the table, the barrels were empty….and both competitors were fast asleep, snoring heavily even as the grandfather clock chimed its' conclusion. It didn't matter who won-even if it did, they were both still unconscious.

The Next Day:

The next morning, both B.F and Kelley suffered large headaches from yesterday's drinking game. Despite this, the final challenge had arrived. At seven o'clock in the morning, B.F woke up Kelley with a tap on the shoulder. "C'mon, kiddo. Rise an' shine." Groggily, Kelley pulled his head from the pillow on his hammock before yawning. "Alright, alright. No need to spit the dummy at this time 'o th' morn." Just as Kelley stood up from his hammock, B.F handed him his rifle before pointing to the door. "Git." Kelley sighed before letting his tail open the door. He knew that his luck would change, but then again, lady luck was at his beckoned call.

Outside the hideout, a shooting gallery was arranged around the rock formation near the stable. B.F pointed to the gallery before instructing Kelley. "Perk your ears up, slick, an' listen. See those cans?" At the top of the gallery stood three tin cans. "Three targets in one-score seconds. Can ya do that?" Kelley nodded. A cocky smile reached from ear to ear as he aimed his rifle. Bang! The can in the middle went down in the first five seconds. Pow! Another one went down a second later. Krack! The last one took four seconds-and missed. B.F twirled his revolver before nudging Kelley. "Watch how a real Cooper shoots." Bang! The first one flew away within a second. Blam! Only for the other two cans to fly into the air in under a split-second. B.F twirled his revolver before letting Kelley have another go. "Faster this time!"

Bang! Within a second, the can on the left is blown away. Krak! The second can fell from the gallery like a penny from a coin toss. Pow! The third can is punctured by the last shot. Kelley smiled arrogantly, before blowing away the smoke. "Is this the best you can do?" B.F shook his head. "Nope. But this is." Within a split second, all three cans were blasted away from the gallery….and B.F wasn't even _looking_ at the target. "Guess I win." But as B.F walked away, Kelley fired a shot with his rifle, flooring all three of the cans in a row. The bushranger merrily skipped back inside, satisfied with his somewhat underhanded victory.

Understandably, B.F was peeved with what had happened outside. Just as Kelley sat at the table, B.F confronted him. "Hold just a pete-darn minute! The contest is over, an' you cheated just after you lost." "I believe you've come a gutser, mate. I won fair and square." B.F just kept trading banter with the bushranger, sitting at the table. "Horse-hockey! What you did was dishonourable, low-down and pitiful. I was th' fastest shot, by right o' honour." Kelley rolled his eyes before sighing, murmuring to himself. "Cripes, cut as a mad snake, this one." All of a sudden, B.F shot him a glare. "What did you say, runt? Say it t' my face or pipe down in front a'yer elders." This prompted Kelley to snap, losing his temper for a brief moment, "Look, you're not me bloody father, alright?!" B.F kept his revolver holstered, barely restraining himself. Then….smack! Kelley held his cheek in pain before B.F felt a hint of guilt. But that was masked by silent rage. "Look here. I've had just about enough a'yer yappin'. Just because I don't understand yer language doesn't mean you can treat me like an idiot. Now I will never be yer pop, nor have I ever said that my age meant you have to do every darn thing that comes out o' my mouth. But that does not mean I don't deserve no disrespect." Kelley looked at him, speechless as B.F verbally gave him a piece of his mind. "I get it, yer confused. I can see that look in yer eye. Yer like a drifter, movin' from one place to another. You don't know where you belong, what future ya might have or what yer life is waitin' to tell you. But givin' people th' ol' 'I'm better 'n you, so I can kick sand in yer face whenever I like. Trust me, a lot of us Coopers felt that way, an' some a' them didn't use gunpowder or steal horses. But in the end, sometimes a shred o' kindness can make a man walk fifty miles barepaw. An' they'll expect you to walk that fifty mile road for 'em just as they'll walk it for you." Humbled, Kelley nodded before taking his paw away from his cheek. Reassuringly, he smiled before replying, placing a welcome paw on B.F's shoulder. "Apples, mate. That was one bottler of a yarn. And trust me, I've had cuts with me dad's rusty cleaver more painful than that slap across me chops." Reluctantly, B.F smiled before tussling Kelley's fur. "There ya go, kiddo." Kelley chuckled before mockingly winking. "Careful with the kid talk, mate. Or I'll box your ears like a kangaroo on a hot summer Sunday." Now friends, the two Coopers laughed heartily before finally embracing one another as True Coopers.


	11. Chapter 11- Preparation

In the evening, Kelley and B.F rode to the north from the hideout. Kelley nudged his horse closer to B.F's before he asked, "Oi, cobber. Why're we ditching the hideout?" B.F turned to his cousin before answering, "Trust me Kelley, if you're here in th' middle o' nowhere, chances be good that yer hide's as good as dead." Kelley felt a shudder go up his spine before he asked, not sure what B.F meant. "Why?" B.F turned to Kelley before speaking in a serious tone. "'Cause that there book in your hand be like a double-edged sword. One side can cut like a knife through butter, but th' other can poison ya. The poison bein' a low-down viper by th' name o' Clockwerk." For some reason, Kelley felt a faint shudder before he gulped, asking B.F, "Clock-who?" B.F just shook his head before answering, "He's th' ever-livin' bane o' the Coopers since day uno. Powered by nothin' but pure hatred, that monster won't stop until the Cooper line lies baking under the desert sun. An' you with it. That was why I came here t' th' middle 'o nowhere. Not for th' book, but fer _you_ in particular." Kelley silently cursed himself, "Out of the frying pan….' Before replying, "Whoever this Clockwerk whacker is, I'm sure I can nail him." B.F replied, his tone showing caution. "Kid, many Coopers stronger, faster an' smarter than you have failed t' knock him back a few pegs in the past. If you want t'beat him, you'll hav'ta earn a millennia's worth 'o knowledge 'fore ya do anythin' rash." Kelley chuckled, tipping his hat. "But they didn't have my aim or charming looks, did they?" B.F could only shake his head and sigh, just as the two rode along the Outback desert. "Kid, you've got a lot t'learn afore you're old 'nough t'shave."

Once night fell, the two riders pitched camp near a cave to the South of Old Canberra. In the woods, B.F trained Kelley in some techniques of the Cooper Clan. "Careful, kid. Watch yer jumpin', 'less ya wanna end up as Kelley MacGoop." Kelley was balancing precariously at the tip of a euycalyptus tree, but nodded nervously. "Oh, he he, don't mind me, mate. I-eh heh-I've the eyes of a hawk and the legs o' a swamp wallaby." He gulped before closing his eyes. Suddenly, he leaped from the tip of the tree, grabbing hold of another tree just to make sure he didn't break every bone in his body whilst doing so. Carefully, Kelley climbed up to the tip before trying again. "Alright…focus this time…." And he leaped again, only to successfully land on the tip of another tree. Briefly looking down, Kelley narrowly prevented himself from plummeting by wrapping his tail around the top of the tree, even as B.F landed on the tree next to him. "Looks like ya'll needs t' get the hang o' leapin' from tree t' tree. But, if there's any consolation, rookie, I'll teach ya my special move." Kelley lightly tried brushing him away. "Nah, I'm apples, mate. Just as-whoa!" Momentarily, he almost lost his balance, only for him to use his tail, lightly straightening himself up. "Just as soon as my centre o' balance doesn't chuck a wobbly." B.F smiled before leaping ahead of Kelley. "C'mon, MacCooper! Clockwerk ain't gonna show you respite, so keep movin'!" Sighing under his breath, Kelley kept trying to perfect his jumping, trying in vain to catch up with the hyperactive grey and black flash that was jumping from treetop to treetop like a Mexican jumping bean in a maze.

After an hour, B.F returned to the camp. He quickly tucked himself inside his sleeping bag, only to see an incredibly tired and sweaty Kelley to stumble into bed. B.F could only smile as Kelley dragged his pillow over his head, before he thought, "That kid's got a long way t'go. Tennie would'a been proud o' him." Finally, he closed his eyes and fell to sleep.

The next morning, B.F fulfilled his promise to Kelley. As the two rode into a small country town, B.F scanned the area for any quick way to get rich quickly. Finally, the sight of the local bank caught his eye. Casually, he loaded his pistol before nudging Kelley. "Hey Kelley, look over yonder. Looks like yer trainin'll be complete well before you know it. Now foller me." Curious, Kelley followed B.F before the two stopped at a small hut not too far from the bank. B.F dismounted his horse, before prompting Kelley to do the same.

Once the horses were tied up, Kelley followed B.F to the back door of the bank. But B.F wasn't promising to teach him anything about stealth-rather how fast he can go. B.F smiled before turning to his young accomplice. "Watch an' learn." Suddenly, time around B.F seemed to speed up, as did his pace. He zipped into the back door, drawing his pistol before robbing the place clean in the blink of an eye. Zipping back out the building, B.F could only smile as he heard the patrons yelling after him 'Stop! Thief!" B.F braked just short of Kelley before winking. "Did y'see that, kid?" Even though Kelley shook his head, B.F grinned from ear to ear. "That's th' ticket. Once you go Fast, you can't ever slow down fer just a second. For when ya go fast…." Quickly, B.F dodged a bullet fired at him by one of the guards. "…So does everythin' else." Kelley looked around for a quick exit, before B.F scooped him up in a flash. And before he knew it, Kelley, as well as B.F, were riding away from the heist at quick speed. Kelley looked towards B.F before his ears began perking up. He felt like a kid again as he asked, "Mate, that was close! And very stylish, if I do say so myself." B.F smiled before replying, "Now yer thinkin' like a Cooper! Fast on yer feet, quick wi' yer wits an' leave everythin' in the dust. That's the B.F Cooper Time Rush technique fer ya."


	12. Chapter 12- The Search for Al-Kruhuk

Late at midnight, B.F heard Kelley mounting his horse. Zipping past on foot, B.F stopped Kelley. "What in tarnation are ya doin'?" Kelley sighed before answering, revealing the wound from his encounter in Freemantle. "Sorry, mate. I'll be back in a jiffy, right after I deal with the Duke o' New South Wales." B.F kept talking, walking alongside the horse. "Hold yer horse! I don't care if he snapped yer spine in twain, you ain't goin' after ol' Saltooth. It just ain't gonna happen." Kelley was getting frustrated, he bucked his horse before resuming his quest. "Look, mate, nothing personal. But that overgrown cane toad beat me black an' blue, putting yours truly to shame. He snuffed out my parents and almost snuffed me out." B.F rushed back to his horse before riding alongside him. "Ferget it, you ain't strong enough, you weren't strong enough t' beat 'im th' first time an besides, yer my cousin." B.F blocked Kelley's path before breathing out momentarily, trying to lift the burden from his shoulders. "'Sides….I can't risk seein' Tennie losin' another member o' the family. Not after what happened those many years ago, an' especially not now." Stubbornly, Kelley rode past him before replying, "It's my fight, B.F. My slice o' the meat pie. And it's high time I finished it." B.F rode beside him one more time before finally offering, "If I can't talk some sense into yer thick head, than will you at least mind me taggin' along for th' ride?" Finally, Kelley smiled before bucking his horse's straps. "Too right, mate. Let's ride t' Freemantle and pay that overgrown lizard a little visit." And with a flash, the two Coopers rode off again, this time for the North.

Once they arrived through the gates, B.F and Kelley quickly donned their disguises before the two of them began questioning the local civilians. First, the incognito B.F asked a homeless iguna informant. But the informant merely replied, leaning closer to B.F's ear before whispering, "Don't gab this t'anyone, but I fer one 'eard that the Duke Saltooth is 'eaded southwards, toward th' coast of old Botany Bay." B.F smiled before patting his informant's back. "Thanks, partner." Only for the informant to tug on his sleeve before asking, "Could you fork over a few shillings, though, mate." Little did B.F know, that just as he handed over the money to the informant, a cloaked figure watched him closely from among the crowd.

Then Kelley asked a similar question to a wandering slug merchant with a large moustache. However, unlike B.F, Kelley had a hard time understanding the slug, given how fast he was talking. "Verily, my recently present lower-class acquaintance. I was taking my last perusement of the establishment's space when I couldn't help but observe the character in query making a swift and immediate evacuation at not forty-three hours before you issued me that fascinating inquiry." Perplexed, Kelley tilted his head before asking again. "'Ang on, mate. I can't understand head nor tail of what you've just said, could you speak slowly and clearly?" The slug merely rolled his eyes before repeating himself in simpler terms. "Three sundowns ago, the Duke of New South Wales left Freemantle port at exactly nine AM, under the utmost secrecy. Now, if you were somebeast of a higher class…." Naturally, Kelley felt like he was talking to a brick wall. "Look, ya pommy half-liquid thingummie, are you going to tell me where the Duke o' New South Wales' sodden off to, or am I going to be asking youwhere the sheep dip is 'til the Kookaburra drops like a frustrated mozzie?" The slug merely shook his head before slithering away. "Confound these convicts and their limited vocabularies, please vacate my personal space immediately or I shall have to request the aid of several law enforcement officers. Now I must bid you good day, you stripe-tailed nincompoop."

Just as Kelley snarled at the unhelpful slug, B.F Cooper playfully nudged Kelley before cracking, "Why cuz, I didn't know you had such a way with words." Kelley turned his head before grunting. "Bloody right. Helpful as an ice pack on a hot Sunday Arvo, that stuck-up pommy was." B.F patted Kelley's back before whispering, "Mayhaps ya shoulda' been more specific, young ringtail. Anyway, I've whipped up some info on where t'find the sneaky varmint. We take th' old wagon train in Woombugloo…" Kelley corrected him, "That's Wumbaloo, mate. And I think you meant we take the shortcut through Wumbaloo Creek, chuck a leftie at GumRed and keep trauntin' onward for 'bout three miles 'til we get t' Botany Bay. Give or take a few stops along the way, for feeding the horses. And presuming the squatters don't wear our tails for belt-strings." Kelley looked toward B.F, who was holding his head as he blurted, "I think I'm gonna be dizzy…Wumbaloo, Chuggaboo, who in rattlesnake's creek thinks namin' these places after baby talk would be helpful?" This time it was Kelley's turn to feel smug, just as he took the map. "I think I'd better navigate from here on in, alright Cobber? 'Sides, without this map, you'd be goin' round in circles." B.F rolled his eyes. "Right, an' I'm a donkey's uncle. This comin' from th' kid who doesn't know what th' word inquiry means yet can read maps that feel like tott's first geography." As the two Coopers returned to their horses, Kelley cracked, "Be careful with that donkey talk, mate. 'Cause I think you're startin' t' talk like an ass!' Playfully, B.F tackled Kelley to the ground. "What'd you say, ya cheeky lil' varmint? I talk like a donkey, do I?" Kelley couldn't help but laugh just as B.F began tickling his armpit, writhing around the ground whilst trying to escape his older cousin's playful clutches. By sundown, they rode again, this time for the Birthplace of Australian Civilisation. Botany Bay. But the same cloaked stranger rode out from the gate, heading West instead of heading for Botany Bay.

The cloaked rider finally stopped its' horse short of a hollowed oak tree. Carefully, the figure stepped closer to the tree before opening it wide. She began chanting in Egyptian, 'Oh Lord of the Sun, Oh Thief Who Never Dies, Oh He Who Brings and Takes Life, Let Thorinson's Crow Enter the Roost." Slowly, a chunk of the Oak tree opened up like a door. The stranger checked his surroundings before he walked inside, cascading down a spiral staircase that led underground.

Making his way through the murky sewer hall, the stranger opened the door to a dark, murky cell. Inside, a metallic voice addressed him. "Ah. Enter, my dear. How good it is to see my eyes and ears perfectly unharmed by those colonial savages. Tell me, what have you to report?" The stranger took off the cloak, revealing the face of a young Hen. She stared at him with wide eyes before speaking. "My lord. I have discovered two truths. The first is that the Duke of New South Wales is headed for Botany Bay. That is where we will find him. The second…is that I have spotted the MacCooper. But he is not alone." An elderly owl peered from the shadows. His feathers were greying, yet he seemed as physically fit as any man thrice his junior. He spat out his disbelief, "What?!" He gripped his talons in anger before taking a moment to breathe in, regaining his composure before resuming his train of thought. "How could this be possible? The only other Cooper that could've escaped my clutches…yes…..there was more than one child aboard that ship. But how he could've survived, that is none of our concern." The Hen maid followed her owl employer before she cleared her throat. "Suppose they reach Botany Bay, sir? Then what shall become of the Duke?" The owl placed his talon over a piece of tapestry, pulling it downward before making the insignia of the Cooper Clan. "I have kept myself alive for hundreds of years. And the one-the only one-secret to my immortality, my dear girl? Ambition. Wrath. Pride. These are the hallmarks of many great and powerful gods. The Mother of many a risen and fallen warrior. And the curse of many thieves." Visibly intimidated, the maid found herself powerless to speak as she watched her master rant like a madman. "One name, however, still stains my mind, no matter how much of my own flesh and blood I tear away…..it still! Would not! _Wash_! It repeats and repeats in my mind, the one name that drives me ever-so-carefully to the brink of insanity. _Cooper_. Their blasted Sign of the Cane. Their smug smile. Their self-righteous 'code of honour'. And of course, their empathy. Their unwillingness to sacrifice the many for the few, the casualties for the rewards. Their sanctimony in believing they can justify their crimes with a false veneer of kindness. The moment my mind grew enlightened by contact with the Heart of Aten, the moment when I gave my own heart for a chance to see my name endure, to still be set in stone when all the great cities crumble to _dust_." Swiftly, the mad owl turned, his coat billowing in the wind as he finished his monologue. "Atenhotep! Master of the Shadows, and ironically, the Son of the Light. Yet I cannot fulfil my rightful destiny when I have to share that domain with those accursed rodents." He then turned to his maid before demanding, "Follow the Coopers to Botany Bay. When they least expect it, you are to assassinate them both. Do you understand, June?" June nodded, before passionately saluting Atenhotep. "At once, Son of Aten! The Cooper line shall fall by my hand, in your name." As soon as June donned her cloak, climbing back to the top, a yellow light flickered in Atenhotep's eye, before the room went pitch black.


	13. Chapter 13- Breaking Point

Meanwhile, on the road to Botany Bay, Kelley began singing a children's tune. In a way, he didn't hide the fact that he had never been to Botany Bay, and that he was excited. "Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay-Attity…..Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay….Singin' Too-Oo-El-Ay- Attity …and we're bou-ound for Botany Bay. So come on, you young duchesses and dukies…Take heed from what I say…what's my own is mine to touch, not yours…or you'll find us in Botany Bay.." B.F tried holding his ears shut, before he teased his cousin, "Hey, Tex. Did you run over something? You're a decent shot, but I wouldn't let you sing Amazin' Grace to a toad wi' no hearin'." Kelley huffed before turning his head. "Trust me, I'm a Galah compared to my dad's voice. He could blow the ears from a drunk rabbit with his singing." B.F chuckled before he stopped his horse. Kelley curiously turned his head before asking B.F, "What's th' matter, cobber?" when B.F placed a finger to his mouth. "Shush, kid. Look over there." Kelley squinted his eyes before spotting an object in the distance. Cautiously, he drew his rifle before aiming down the sight. But all of a sudden, a savage roar filled the air. Kelley nervously stood his ground, whilst B.F cautiously loaded his revolver. When the mist subsided, a large shape began forming into a group of feral silhouettes. The echo of several paws sprinting the ground caused Kelley to lose his nerve. "Feral dogs! Dozens of the mangy bastards, coming this way!" B.F cocked his pistol, his horse braying nervously as he gritted his teeth.

All of a sudden, a pack of large dogs burst out from the mist. The pack quickly gained an advantage over the two Coopers, surrounding them in a circle. B.F took potshots at the feral hounds, but all his efforts did was angering the Alpha pack leader. Kelley aimed down the rifle, before closing his eyes in terror. As much as he held his pride in high regard, the sight of the dogs made him feel uncomfortable. Still closing his eyes, he fired a couple of shots into the circle, only managing to graze one of them despite his best efforts. B.F in the meantime found himself kicking pack members off his saddle. "Yah! Take it, ya flea-bitten mutts! Yah!" One of the mutts managed to bite B.F's leg, but B.F fired a shot, managing to blind it just before he kicked again, this time flooring the bloodthirsty beast with a single kick. Holding his leg in pain, B.F called out, "Kelley! We gotta ride outta here! There's too many o' them!" Kelley opened his eyes before finding himself backed into a corner. With no choice, Kelley fired away at the dogs with his rifle. Two of them were wounded, but by the time Kelley managed to force his way out from the voracious pack, Kelley tried in vain to retain his usual bravado, calling out to B.F "Kelley MacCooper scarpers from no-beast!" Suddenly, a third dog pounced on him, flooring him with seemingly no effort. Now, Kelley felt terrified. He didn't want to die. Quickly, he grabbed his rifle before firing away wildly. "Get back! Ya hear me, ya mongrels! Get away from me!" Suddenly, Kelley accidentally managed to shoot the mongrel that savaged him in the eye. A loud gunshot echoed throughout the Wasteland, frightening the hounds. But it wasn't from Kelley's gun, even as Kelley stood motionless over the corpse of the hound that almost tried to kill him. He didn't understand; he saved himself and B.F. He proved himself to be as good as he said. But why wasn't he gloating? Why, indeed, didn't he utter a word?

Understandably shaken, Kelley curled up into a ball. B.F carefully approached Kelley, limping towards him before he asked, "Kid, you alright?" Kelley nodded, before standing up. Even as he walked back to his horse, he tried desperately to hide the effects of his near-death experience. He mounted the horse before B.F followed close behind. "Look, kiddo, I know how ya feel. Look, could you stop your horse fer just a minute-" Suddenly, Kelley snapped at B.F, still maintaining a false veneer of self-importance. Even as his voice began trembling. "I didn't bungle up back there, alright?! I just-tripped, that's all. Yeah, that's it-tripped. 'Cause, one o' those mangy mutts actually trying to kill me? I'm too handsome an' skilled to lose that easily in a scrap!" He turned back to the road ahead. "After all….that doesn't matter. C'mon, let's keep riding ahead." B.F showed some concern, calling out, "Kid, mayhaps we should take some R&R…." Suddenly, Kelley fired a shot at B.F. Breathing hoarsely, Kelley looked agitated. He kept his rifle on B.F. "You think I'm some weak ankle biter, don't you?! You think I can't take care o' myself! Don't you?! Answer me, ya two-faced whacker! I bet you don't even need me. The minute I turn my back, you'll steal the book, won't ya?! Pry it from my cold, dead paws because you're afraid I'm better than you in every conceivable way, and you don't want that, do you? Do you?!" B.F's ears folded, the pain from his leg making his tone feel weaker even as he tried calming his panicked cousin down. "No, no that ain't so. You're a Cooper, like me. You're family. Why in Goota would I bite ya in the back? Tell me, why would I want to take something that belongs to you?" Kelley took the Theivius Raccoonus from its' case before holding the book tightly with one paw, gun aimed at B.F's head as he stuttered, "Rack off, you raw-prawn spewin' ratbag! Just try to follow me, cousin. Just try. Because like it or not, yank, I know you're not thick enough t'chase me. And even then, I'll blow your rooting head off if you do!" Kelley bucked his horse, causing it to charge ahead on the path, even as B.F called out, "Kelley! Come back here, kid! It's not like that at all! Kelley, don't leave! KEEEEELLLLLEEEEEEYYYY!"

Not too far away, June saw Kelley riding away, before she silently curses herself. Casually, she reloaded her rifle before climbing atop her horse. Bucking the straps, June rode after Kelley from the safety of the rock formation, unaware that B.F had spotted her. Gritting his teeth in frustration, B.F decided to follow the cloaked stranger, almost certain he was being stalked-but that she would lead him to Botany Bay.


	14. Chapter 14- Revenge, Bitterest of pills

**Warning: the following chapter may have a terribly-written attempt for an Aesop. **

* * *

Meanwhile, in Botany Bay, Al-Kruhuk was busy holding a meeting in the Mansion's dining hall with two other Dukes; the Duke of Tasmania and the Duke of Western Australia. Amidst the bosoms of two maidens, the Duke of Van Damien's Land, Norman, seemingly showed no concern for the meeting, instead wallowing his time with his two concubines, despite him being located to the far right of Al-Kruhuk. "Shh-shh-shh. Careful, Sheilas. Y'might wanna be careful wi' that tail. Oh-hoo-hoo, that tickles." As a sharp contrast, the Duke of Western Australia seemed to glare at his less-than-courteous fellow Duke from the far right side, carrying his wine glass in one hand. He whispered to Al-Kruhuk, still maintaining his icy glare, "Why must we proceed with this chauvinistic ne'er do well filling the assembly with his wretched habits." Arrogantly, Norman began calling out, "Care t' give one o' these fine wench a burl, fellow dukes? I have many beautiful women to pleasure even your cold exterior, fellow Duke." The Emu drank his wine glass before setting it aside, all the while he added, "Tis a miracle that Her Highness didn't replace you with a mere swine. Given your slovenly appearance, a swine might be a good deal more refined to run your share of the Lucky Country." Suddenly, Norman of Van Damien's Land quickly drew a pistol on the cold-faced Duke of Western Australia, one of his concubines falling back as he snarled, "You mongrel! That's a complete Porky and you know it!" Suddenly, Al-Kruhuk drew a large sword before slamming his fist on the table, drawing his guests' attention. "Pipe down, the pair o'you! Now listen up, you Pommy-kissing Ockers. This Lucky Country is stuffed, in terms of trade agreements and that little Eureka scrap that happened yonks ago. I've arranged this little get-together because I believe that this country has the strength and the potential to become the economic pride of the British Empire. And the only way for this to happen is if we unite this country, proving to Her Majesty that Australia is as much a vital part of the Empire as it's own beating heart!"

After a ceaseless night of riding, Kelley arrived through the waterfront. But his normal boisterous demeanour had faded from his eyes, vengeance was now high on his mind. He galloped through a shortcut to the Waterfront, cocking his rifle without saying a word. 'Tonight,' he swore to himself, 'the Croc's got hell t'pay.' Once he stopped just three blocks away from the mansion at the centre of the waterfront, he began climbing the rooftops. His mind clouded with rage, Kelley charged across the rooftops, his rifle tightly clenched in his teeth as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Stopping himself short of the roof of a marketplace, he looked for another way in. Not thinking straight, he began scrambling across a tightrope, not stopping until he spotted an easier way to enter the manor; through a small crawlspace at the back of the mansion. Quickly, like many Coopers before him, he cut the knot before using it's length to his advantage, climbing down from the rope as he made his way toward the crawlspace. Upon reaching the ground, he then began crawling his way through the dank sewer tunnel, all the while he noticed that his lithe size gave him an advantage in this tight space, even when he holstered his rifle beforehand.

As he forced himself onward, his clothes became drenched in a mixture of sweat, tears and the raw sewage below the manor. Despite this, Kelley seemed undeterred, his memories of their last encounter only making his determination all the more frightening. Nothing could get between him and the Duke of New South Wales' neck. 'Oh how he would squirm', thought Kelley. 'How he'd be weeping like a babe, begging me to let him live another day.' His paws clenched upon contact with a metal surface. 'Finally!' he thought, 'must be a trap door. I'm practically within cooee of the scaly mongrel's scent.' Forcing the grid open, Kelley hoisted himself from the sewer tunnel, finding himself in the mansion's basement. After briefly checking the condition of his rifle, Kelley heard a guard coming his way.

The basement door opened, just as a guard rat walked down to check the noise he heard. "Oi! Who's there?! Come out where I can get a Captain Cook at yer hide, mongrel!" He searched the area, using the torch as a light to see what he was looking at. Panicking, Kelley gritted his teeth in anger. 'No,' he thought, 'not now! Don't deny me an easy shot at old scalebelly….' Suddenly, the guard checked behind the wall…only to find nothing there. Kelley squinted from the light flashed in his direction, yet he noticed that the guard couldn't see him. He looked at himself, only to find that he had become invisible. His every movement couldn't be heard by the guard, who reluctantly turned his back. The guard muttered, "Bloody oath…there's nothin' here.' Just as he went upstairs. But little did he know that Kelley had already pickpocketed the keys from the ignorant rat's pocket. Kelley grinned before quickly making his way upstairs, forgetting to note that his invisibility was quickly wearing off because he wasn't moving slowly. Not that it would stop him.

Back upstairs, the Duke of Van Damien's Land holstered his revolver before reluctantly sitting back in his seat, listening to Al-Kruhuk's plan. Al-Kruhuk laid his plans on the table before explaining them, "Here is my plan. First, we need to establish contact with the House of Lords. They are the only house capable of achieving what Parliament back in Britain can't. And it just so happens that the Duke of Victoria, Lord Hannington, has a friend in high places." The Duke of Western Australia added, "Indeed, Al-Kruhuk. My brother is a weak-willed creature. But in order to do that, we need to find blackmail material. Illegal documents, photographs, letters. Once I have found the right trigger, my dear brother will be putty in my hands." Shortly, Norman piped in to ask Al-Kruhuk "And once we've done that, what then?" Al-Kruhuk chuckled darkly before clasping his scaly hands together. "Why, we need a scapegoat." The Duke of Van Damien's Land's ear twitching in irritation, he asked. "'Ang on, cobbers….you're thinking of framing me, are ya?" Al-Kruhuk shook his head. "An act that is all too easy. No, I believe the perfect setup is closer than we think…"

Prowling through the hallway, Kelley slipped past the guards, stealthily knocking them out one by one before he reached the top floor. He gripped his rifle with ferocity, before his eyes went red with hatred. He kicked down the door with all of his might, aiming the rifle at his target before he called out, "Al-Kruhuk! Have a Captain Cook at this face, and remember it well, for it'll be the last thing you'll see before I shoot you dead, monster!" The Duke of New South Wales snarled before ordering the other dukes to, "Scarper! Take those plans and leave! This ringtailed mongrel is mine…" Suddenly, Kelley pounced upon the Duke, possessed by a rabid anger that seemed to blind him. "You killed my mother…you sunk their ship…you stole my family…you humiliated and left me for dead…now-I will not ever let you out of my sight!" Al-Kruhuk smiled a savage grin before smacking the bushranger away with the swing of his tail. "Save your speech, ankle biter! My loyalty is to the Crown-and you are an enemy of Her Majesty." After being thrown through a wall, Kelley tried propping himself to his feet, even as Al-Kruhuk stepped closer. "I should've killed you when I had the chance….ah well. At least now I get to relish every single blow." Suddenly, Al-Kruhuk landed another punch on Kelley, this time with no restraint behind his fist. "You outlaws are all the same. Petty, self-serving, unwilling to help the normal folk embrace progress." Then, Al-Kruhuk grabbed Kelley by the throat before slamming him into a portrait of Prince Albert, all the while taking sick pleasure in mocking him." You call yourself a Cooper? You're nothing but a fluke." Again, he slammed his fist into the raccoon's chest. An imitation!" Finally, he lifted his opponent into the air, savouring the kill to come. "A vulture picking off the carcass of an already sad excuse for a mother!" Then, KRACK! He threw him onto the table with barely any effort. Writing in agony, Kelley was helpless as the Duke began to taunt him once more. "You are nothing but a thief. Just like all the others. Where is your precious legacy now?"

But just as Al-Kruhuk was about to lay a final blow, Kelley fired a shot from his rifle, grazing the crocodile's eye. Slowly, Kelley pulled himself from the splintering wood, breathing in hoarse breaths before he wiped the blood from his cheek. He fired another shot, ignoring his limp as he slowly moved towards his oppressor. Al-Kruhuk stood back two paces, feeling intimidated by the unprecedented endurance his opponent had shown. But just as Al-Kruhuk tried to run away, Kelley fired a shot at his shoulder, piercing it even as he began to stumble around the room. As Al-Kruhuk laid down in agony, holding his shoulder, Kelley glared at him with stone-faced determination. "Y…You're right. I am a thief. Am I proud of that? Yeah…in a way." He lifts the rifle to Al-Kruhuk's head, continuing to talk. "Am I proud t'be a Cooper? Yes…. but I'm not like all the other cobbers, am I? And all those other cobbers, likely looking down on me, with many faces an' many goals…are they the same as me? Am I black or white? Good or bad? That depends. A name is just a name, but there's something you don't get. I am my own Legacy. I choose my own path." Suddenly, Kelley dropped his rifle on the ground beside him, choosing not to kill. "And in the end, mate….it's best to live….and forgive." Al-Kruhuk opened his eyes in surprise, as he saw the battered, bruised, barely alive raccoon in front of him offer to help him to his feet. "You….you'd stick ye neck out…f'me?" Kelley smiled, spitting out a bloodied tooth as he admitted, "Yeah…after all, if I could get a second kick up the tail, why not you? So what'dye say, cobber?" He offered his paw. "Are we mates?" Al-Kruhuk glared at Kelley for a moment. Then he offered his hand, just as Kelley helped him up from the floor. Inside, Kelley felt a shred of satisfaction from what he had done. After all, killing him would've been _too_ easy.


	15. Chapter 15- Forgive and Forget

The assassin stood motionless as Kelley escorted her target from the building. She could not believe that the outlaw would've been capable of compassion, let alone be kind enough to spare the very reptile that almost beat him to a pulp. Before they could spot her, June knelt down, trailing her quarry with her rifle. Squarely, the lithe assassin aimed the cumbersome weapon at the Duke's head, her finger at the ready. "C'mon…you treacherous mongrel…stay in my sights…"

Suddenly, an irritated B.F Cooper arrived before the gates of the Duke's mansion. Upon seeing the injured Kelley escorting Al-Kruhuk from the front gates, Before Kelley could try and protect the reptilian Duke, the impetuous Cooper leapt from his steed, tackling the Crocodile to the ground. Quickly, he began punching the Duke with all of his might, anger fuelling every blow. "Leave my cousin alone, y'hear?! Cowardly dirtbag...I'll smash yer face into the dirt for what you've done ta him..." Suddenly, Kelley pushed the Duke out of the way before taking B.F's punch to the stomach. B.F shortly stopped his violent outburst before kneeling to help Kelley up. "Why'd ya do that for, kid? This dirtbag beat you to a pulp, killed yer folks, he deserves to be six feet underground." Kelley faced his cousin stone-faced, before he defended the Duke. "Pull ya head in, mate. He's been through enough. An' besides, what would killin' him accomplish?" B.F couldn't believe his ears. "This has t'be a joke, Kelley. 'Cause if it is, scoot over an' lemme finish 'im..." Kelley stood his ground, revealing his battered form in the process. "No, mate. There's been enough violence fer t'day. And if ya do kill 'im, what then? Would ye be seen as this great hero? No, ya wouldn't. Because that's what he wants us to do." But before the Duke could breathe a sigh, Kelley shot him a glare before he faced his cousin once more. "If we snuff him out, we'll only prove ourselves to be no different than _he_ is. An' for what? Payin' him back by taking his life?"

But in a sudden, sick twist of irony, the Duke of New South Wales snatched Kelley's rifle and breathed hoarsely, aiming the rifle at both the Coopers. "I'd rather be dead, than to be held ransom in your paws...Bushrangers." Suddenly, just as he cocked the rifle, a loud bang filled the air. The Duke fell limply to the ground, a smoking hole in his head. Kelley's eyes were wide open with horror. For all of his talk, all the effort in trying not to kill him, in proving that he wasn't as ruthless as he said, all that effort went down the drain. Brought down with an impending sense of dread, Kelley knelt down to his knees before tearfully covering the Duke's body. All the while, his voice choked with tears as he slammed his fist to the ground. "It's not fair...it's not..." Filled with grief, he threw his rifle against the building. "IT'S NOT BLOODY FAIR! DAMN YOU! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!" Then he slumped to the ground, still sobbing hot tears of anger. "Damn you t' hell...there had t'be another way...it wasn't supposed t' end like this." B.F Cooper suddenly spied a figure fleeing from the distance.

June mounted herself onto her steed, before riding away from the city. But something haunted her; the target seemed to express guilt over her kill. She eventually shook that feeling off, knowing that eventually, she and Kelley would indeed cross paths once more. And when that happens, she thought, for Atenhotep, his head would be hers.


	16. Chapter 16- The Wayward Wind

Silently, Kelley stood over the cliff top, leaving himself to his own thoughts. A sense of disillusionment swept over him. It was as if he felt...hollow. That sense felt odd to him. Now, one would expect that if you were to swear revenge on someone, you'd expect to feel satisfied, or at least have the chance to have this last laugh. But this wasn't the case. He wanted to break the cycle, prevent himself from turning out just like the Duke. But instead, for all of his lust for revenge, all of his rage and passion fuelling his desire to fulfil his family's revenge...it was all for nought. Standing up from the cliff top that faced the mansion, he turned his back on the Duke's unmarked grave. There was nothing left for him there.

His back to B.F Cooper, who was mustering the horses. His mind still stung over what had happened. His one chance for revenge-taken from him! Any hope for his family to be avenged-meaningless! Kelley turned his back on the mansion, before he began to walk towards his horse. Mounting the saddle, Kelley began the lonely ride back to Bonnydoon, his slumped figure attracting B.F's attention. "Hey kid," B.F caught up to Kelley before asking, "Where're you scamperin' off to?" Kelley sighed before looking to B.F. "What's the point, mate? You saw what happened back there-I had the chance to finish him off…and I botched it. An' the worst part, it was completely bloody pointless. All this searching, all this scroungin' around and fuss about this Thiemius Raccamagookus, and it all turned out t'be crockers." As Kelley tried riding away, B.F asked, "So yer just gonna run like th' wind? Abandon the fam'ly business? Just because your revenge went nowhere, yer just gonna throw in th' blanket an' cower under yer bed?" In a feat of anger, Kelley bucked his horse, riding away from B.F Cooper as fast as he could, even as B.F called out, "Come back here, ya coward! Ya hear me, Kelley MacCooper?! Yer a coward! an' ya think it's all done an' dusted?!"

Miles along the road, Kelley found himself well on his way back to Bonnydoon; unaware that in the distance, a shadowy figure was following him on horseback. As he rode along the path, the road to his old hometown gave him time to reflect on his decision. Was he too quick to ignore B.F's advice? If it was that easy for his revenge to be dashed, then why did he even bother taking the road not taken? But all of a sudden, Kelley's horse brayed nervously as a loud crunch alerted Kelley to his surroundings. Carefully, Kelley petted his steed's mane, gently whispering, "Whoa there! Easy, sheila." Temporarily dismounting from his horse, Kelley pulled out his pistol, staying with the horse as he called out, "Who's there?! Come out, ya mongrel!" As if to answer his question, a shot rang through the misty roads, scaring Kelley's horse. Kelley held onto the straps, before snarling, maintaining his closeness with the horse as he called out. "Look, cobber, if yer gonna take a potshot at me, at least aim for the chest. I'd like to keep my head, thank ye very much." Another shot rang out, hitting a tree beside him. From the mist, the same cloaked stranger from the Mansion assassination appeared to him, a smoking rifle held in its' grip. Slightly weirded out, Kelley held his rifle at the ready, finally recognising the assassin. "Wait a cotton-picking minute...you're the sniping mongrel that snuffed out the Duke...you took my revenge, cobber." The assassin loaded her rifle before aiming. "He was a traitor to the Order. And do not worry, you shall lose more than your revenge." All of a sudden, Kelley fired his rifle, trying to disarm, but not injure, the assassin trying to murder him. But to no avail, as the assassin managed to avoid the shots. "Hand over the Book, and maybe I might spare your bloated life." Kelley cracked a smile, hiding behind a tree before firing two shots at the assassin. The first one missed, whereas the second one grazed her leg. He called out, "Fat chance, sheila! After all, if I die, where would be the fun in burying my cadaver?" The assassin, strangely enough, began to laugh at Kelley MacCooper, her voice tinged with patronisation. "Your ego has blinded you to the truth, MacCooper!" Baffled, Kelley froze in his place. "Pig's arse…I heard him spill the beans, got th' black magpie, had half 'o my bones crushed t'near ashes…and he wasn't the mongrel who did my parents' in?" The assassin fired a shot at Kelley's leg, leaving him with an injury as she called out, "The Duke was but a mere pawn for my master's doing, oh petty Bushranger. The iron wings of the sun hover over you, MacCooper. And very soon, you shall run no more, hide no more...for it's child shall rend you asunder!" Kelley traded banter with the assassin, hurriedly bandaging his leg as he replied, "Yeah, cobber? Well why don't you take off your hood, go slink back to that dag of a master, an' tell him that Kelley MacCooper, Eagle o' the Bush, couldn't give a kangaroo dropping about his mystical voodoo croc-piss, that it'll take more than a bullet t' the leg from a second-rate shot to stop me from avenging the MacCoopers, once and for all!" But before the assassin could finish Kelley off with a shot to the head, the thundering of hooves forced her to retreat. She sat back atop her mount before riding away into the night, proclaiming, "Another time, MacCooper! So swears Atenhotep!"

Unfortunately, as she rode away, a silver medallion dropped from her coat and into the snow. Kelley peered out from behind the tree. He rubbed his eyes to see B.F atop his horse, before he limped out from the woods. "Well, cobber, aren't you an angel in this black stump? I was worried you would've forgotten who I was and scarpered for Yankee-Land at the first chance!" B.F dismounted, before walking over to his younger cousin. He helped him to his legs before replying, "Ya shouldn't have gone an' ran away like that. I was worried ya might've lost yer marbles." Reluctantly, Kelley nodded, before he tried disguising his shame with self-gratification. "Not t'be a wet blanket, mate, but I dealt with the mongrel single-pawed. Ametuer may've been good enough to injure my leg...ngh...but I'm still the best shot in the Outback." B.F mounted Kelley atop his horse, before chuckling. "Sure y'are. Jus' keep tellin' yaself that, cuz. It'll come true eventually." Kelley smiled for a moment, before expressing annoyance at the remark. "Oi!" B.F ignored Kelley when he discovered the amulet in the snow. "What in th' world..." He knelt down to pick up the amulet, and his eyes widened in recognition. The amulet seemed ornately decorated-an iron claw with a yellow orb in the middle-but was treated roughly. Nevertheless, B.F walked over to his horse before showing it to Kelley. "I reckernise this, kiddo. This be His doin'." As B.F sat in front of the saddle, Kelley's eyes widened, before he took the amulet from B.F's paw. "Cripes...this is Melbourne-made iron...which means..." He suddenly slapped his head with his paw. "Of course! That's why the Duke was there. Somethin' about a Bushranger prevention...thingummy." Now with a clear goal, B.F answered, bucking the horse into galloping along the main road, before replying, "Then that's where we're headed. If th' Duke was capped, then prepare fer a long ol' trip, young bushranger, 'cause that means we've gotta find them two dukes an' round 'em up quick-like." Kelley replied, still looking at the amulet. "Bonzer, mate, spoken like a true blue dag."


	17. Chapter 17- The Slip

Not far from Old Melbourne Town, the Duke of Van Damien's Land arrived at the gate, carrying a small scroll in his claw. His horse was tired and almost bent-over, a stark contrast to the lusty Duke. Passing through the gates, he saluted the guards before continuing on his path. Oh how he would enjoy pressuring the weak-minded Duke into accepting the deal. "Bloody oath, I'll push that mongrel into th' deal. And maybe I pick a few beaut sheilas on th' way. What'cher say, mate?" His horse could barely stand, as evidenced when it dropped to the ground of of exhaustion. The duke fell off his horse and onto the pavement, which did not make him feel dignified. He stood up before kicking the exhausted beast, "Get movin, you bludger!" After a while, the Duke gave up before making his way to the centre of Old Melbourne Town on foot. "Bloody oath...the mongrel better fork me over a new horse."

As Kelley and B.F rode into Old Melbourne Town, the two had to wear cloaks just to slip past the guards. As they passed the gates, Kelley noted a wanted poster with his face on the front, and a bounty worth ₤2,000. He chuckled as he rode on, a hint of irony showing in his tone as he said, "Funny, would've thought I'd be worth twice that much." B.F sighed before riding on. "Git goin'. We ain't got much time 'til that paper reaches th' harbour." Kelley sighed before riding on through the city streets. But little did he know that a familiar-looking figure was stalking him, this time from the rooftop.

But shortly after passing the Gates, B.F spotted the Duke of Van Damien's Land just three stones' throw away from Melbourne Harbour before parking his horse. He turned to Kelley before ordering him, "Breeze on ahead an' round 'im up, kid. Th' horses just won't cut it." Kelley turned to B.F before leaping from his horse as he replied, "That Duke's as good as mine, my uncouth yankee cousin. Watch and learn." As quick as a bullet, Kelley began racing across the rooftops, leaping from spire to spire with a speed matching B.F's. B.F rounded up the horses before smacking their hinds, leaping away to watch the delicious chaos as he followed close behind the younger thief.

Stopping to recover his breath, the Duke of Van Damien's Land checked behind him to see if he was being followed. He smiled vainly, cocking his revolver in the eventuality he would be caught, before resuming his route toward the Harbour. Nothing would stop him from delivering this seemingly insignificant note to it's intended destination. Nothing-except for that MacCooper fellow that ambushed his fellow Dukes. Gritting his teeth, he increased his pace, fearing what would happen if the MacCooper had gotten his paws on him.

But en route to the Harbour, Kelley spotted the same assassin trailing him. Fearing the worst, he cocked his rifle before taking a blind leap of faith, gripping onto a rope by his paws. Wincing, Kelley fuelled his pain into crawling along the rope. Nothing would stop him from getting his hands on that treaty the Duke was on about. After all, what fun would it be to live in the shadow of Death? Upon reaching the rooftop on the other side, he resumed his feverish pursuit.

By the time he reached the Harbour, Kelley swept the sweat from his worried brow. The ship Al-Kruhuk warned him about was just arriving in the Harbour. He noticed the Duke of Van Damien's Land rushing to the boat, and right then and there, Kelley leapt from the rooftop of a boathouse and snuck into the shadows, trailing the Duke onto the boat.

The Duke of Van Damien's Land swept his brow freely. He had made it onto the ship, just as Al-Kruhuk planned. Holstering his weapon, the Duke made his way to the Living Quarters. But upon reaching for his room, the sound of a rifle cocking froze him in place. "G'day, Duke. Care to fork over that treaty, make this easier for yourself? I'd hate to waste a few good bullets on a womanising, flea-bitten dag like yerself." The Tasmanian Devil turned his back, seemingly putting his paws on his head as he pleaded, "Ah! Bushranger, please spare a pore old Duke like meself. I-I'm not worth yer time." Kelley chuckled, feigning ignorance as the Duke slowly drew his pistol. "Really, cobber? You're not? Well, I guess I should be packin' me rifle and scarper…" But just as the Duke fired first, Kelley picked up an empty whiskey bottle before throwing it at the Duke's arm. "Ahck!" the Duke screamed as the whiskey bottle smacked itself in his shoulder, "Ya back-stabbing mongrel…" Kelley aimed his rifle and fired five shots, just as the Duke stared in awe. Beside him, the treaty he and the other Dukes had signed was lying on the floor, four smoking bullet holes ruining the ink on the signature. The Duke snarled before smiling, his smile mocking the Bushranger holding the rifle as he taunted him, "What happened to the fifth shot, ankle-biter? For the so-called 'Eagle o' the Outback, you are a pore marks…WAH!" Suddenly, a portrait of Queen Victoria fell on the Duke's head, knocking him out. Kelley chuckled, holstering his rifle as he picked up the treaty. "Little tip, me ol' mate….don't count yer chooks before they've hatched."

Before Kelley could further gloat, a gunshot grazed his leg. Turning his head, Kelley smiled as the shooter revealed herself. "A good shot…ugnh…but you'll have to do a lot better than that, Sheila." "I plan to, Ringtail." The same assassin appeared from behind Kelley, her rifle aimed at the ready. Kelley smiled before he asked, holding his paws up just as his tail placed his rifle on the ground, "Let me guess, ya couldn't resist attempt to shooting me in the apple for the second time. Y'know, sheila, mayhaps we could get together someday." The assassin remained stone-faced, maintaining her aim. "Bravado is the least of your worries, thief. It shall be a pleasure challenging you to a rematch. And this time, it shall be you who is humiliated this day. I promise a quick death." Kelley chuckled, his tail curled around his rifle. "As much as I'd hate to disappoint you, Sheila, I've got no plans to snuff it today, least of all to a trigger-happy beaut like yerself." The assassin loaded her rifle before preparing to fire, "Enough talk, Cooper! This time, I shall be the victor!" Kelley fired first, relying on his tail to throw his opponent off-balance before dodging her volley. Using a chair as a makeshift shield, he threw the chair at his enemy, distracting her long enough for himself to slip away via a smoke bomb B.F gave him.

By the time she recovered her eyesight from the sudden flash of smoke, the assassin discovered both her quarry gone and the treaty shoved into the duke's mouth, leaving a window open. The assassin slammed her fist against a door before screaming, "MACCOOPER!"

Barely managing to swim away, Kelley couldn't help but smile at himself. In a way, it felt satisfying to humiliate not only a fellow marksman, but also a well-known Diplomat in the process. As he reached the shore, Kelley removed a horseshoe charm from his jacket before throwing it into the lake. "Bless ye, oh luck of the Convict" Kelley said to himself as he walked back to B.F Cooper. For now, he wanted to rest his bones. Who knows what stranger would be trying to kill him the next time he got unlucky. After all, he had one more Duke to track down. As he rode out from Old Melbourne Town, both he and B.F were unaware that a Eurasian Owl was watching them closely from the shadows. And cursing his rotten luck.


	18. Chapter 18- A Sudden Meeting

While on the road, B.F and Kelley had set up camp not far from Melbourne Town. As B.F cooked dinner, Kelley was cautiously cleaning the workings of his trademark Rifle. Meticulously, Kelley oiled the frame and workings of the Cane Lever, holding the bolt in his teeth as he oiled every square inch of the gun. As B.F turned the spit, he used a small twig to slightly adjust the burning wood. While he did this, B.F asked Kelley, "I've been meanin' t'ask ya a question, kid. How'd ya manage t'swipe that piece?" Kelley finished oiling the rifle before bolting the lever back into place, whilst answering, "Found this little bewdy in Port Essington. Went fer a bargain at th' market, so I nicked it, made the appropriate tweakin', and bob's yer uncle, my liddle baby was born." B.F lifted the meat from the fire, blowing on it as he answered, "Well, don't that beat all. I thought ya wouldn't give a toss fer anythin' other than yer own hide." Kelley eyed his rifle protectively, "Stone the crows and call me a gumtree, cobber. This isn't just any fair dinkum rifle; built this wi' my own two paws. This here be th' apple o' me picket fence-and for good reason, cobber." B.F asked, "What be that reason?" only for Kelley to answer, cleaning the barrel. "'Cause, cobber, I made it. And there's no-one better than my trusted paws-any Joe Blow'll shout ya that." B.F sighed, slicing into the meat with his Bowie Knife as he muttered, "Lackaday, that rugrat's mighty sure o' him an' his gun. An' I thought Cousin Tennie was gun-crazy." Kelley finished the final touches on his rifle before cleaning his paws, making sure not to make them look dirty as he holstered the newly-cleaned rifle. He sat by the fire as B.F served him his portion, before Kelley tucked into his meal, sharing his experiences with meat as he did so. "Mmm…fair dinkum job on cutting th' chook, mate. Though…" Kelley paused before picking a bone from his teeth, making sure not to fracture it as he continued, "Just be careful ya don't nick th' bone. Otherwise you'll look as purple as a galah 'cause it'll stick in yer throat like a garden shed." B.F found himself perplexed, shaking his head as he muttered, "Where in cheddar do they come up with these fancy words?"

Later that night, whilst B.F was fast asleep, Kelley had the extraordinary fortune of serving as First Watch, keeping an eye on the camp for intruders-that is, if he didn't fall asleep not merely five minutes after B.F had done earlier. Not far away, the same assassin from the boat managed to find their trail, tracking them down to the now-extinguished fireplace. June snuck closer to the fireplace, keeping her rifle on her person at all times as she snuck closer to the seemingly sleeping Kelley. Slowly, she drew her knife, readying it for the kill-when she heard a rifle cock behind her. She turned to see that Kelley had been waiting for her. He tipped his hat before saying, "Good evenin' luv. Fancy seein' you 'round the black stump." June snarled, holding her knife at the ready as she hissed, "You try my patience, Ringtail." Kelley smiled, before keeping his paw on the trigger. "Really, sheila? Shame. I thought we were going t' keep yakkin' 'til my cousin here wakes up to blow you apart, luv. But since I'm a swell cobber, I'll let ya have ten secs t'scarper…." Suddenly, June punched Kelley in the stomach, winding him as she snarled. "Do you _ever_ stop talking, ringtail? Your chatter grows tiresome, and the sooner I take your head, the better." Kelley pulled himself up from the ground, still smiling as he tried to talk with the assassin. "Shame really, luv. With shooting like yours, similar interests, per'aps we could've had something. Oh, and I like to hear meself nattering, does wonders for the nerves."

As June swung her blade, Kelley nicked B.F's Bowie Knife from beside his sleeping bag before using it to parry her blows, trading banter as they went. "Anyone tell you 'bout yer eyes? They match quite finely with your knife. Very beautiful." June lunged as she said, "Pity your eyes won't be mocking mine, Ringtail. For I'll carve them out from your stunted skull and present them to His Majesty." Kelley chuckled, blocking her lunge as he quipped, "Always knew Viccy was a bloke. Tell me, do you like dancing?" June blocked Kelley's parry as she replied, "Only the dance of death, cursed thief." Kelley snapped, deflecting another lunge, "Care for a pinch o' line dancing? Very graceful, you are." June smiled, inching her knife closer as she quipped, "Perhaps. Care to cut to the point?" As she made the pun, Kelley dodged her swipe as it sliced into the tree behind him. Recovering his balance, Kelley slipped away behind June, just as June called out, "Hiding from me shall only prolong your fate, MacCooper." As June turned around, Kelley dangled behind her on a higher branch by his tail. "Well strike me pink, luv. I quite like my fate long enough as it is, don't you?" June whipped around, even as Kelley blocked her strike with precision. "Fair dinkum form, but needs a bit 'o work. Savvy?" June thrusted her blade upward, just as Kelley pulled himself up. "You will not escape my blade, MacCooper! I will have your head, even if it _is_ as empty as they say." Kelley began taunting June, zipping from tree to tree as June tried to follow on foot, making it obvious that he was trying to distract her from the fireplace. But for what seemed unknown.

By the time June had caught up with her mark, Kelley was waiting for her. She bared her dagger before asking him, "You had never shown this much foresight for caution before. But why now, of all places?" Kelley climbed down from the tree before putting away his rifle. "I could ask you the same question, Sheila." Suddenly, June smiled before walking up to Kelley. Her knife was sheathed as she carefully circled him, lightly tickling Kelley's nose with one of her feathers as she said, "You evaded my clutches at almost every turn, shattered your own nation's bastion, the one hope it has for order-yet you _still_ possess the gall to think you have a chance in Hades to woo me with your own bloated sense of self-importance…I _like _that." Kelley couldn't believe his ears, even as June smiled slyly at his gormless expression. "I can see it as clear as day, Ringtail. Several times, you have had the chance to execute me, to finish me off when I keep coming close to killing you time and time again-and yet you hesitate. You keep sparing me at every turn, you show me kindness, humour, even at times honour." Kelley chuckled, smiling behind his mask before quipping, tipping his hat, "Don't flatter yerself, Luv. Fer a beaut like yerself, I'd pinch the moon with sheep shears and shave it clean." Flustered, The hen blushed before taking away Kelley's mask, kissing Kelley's cheek as she commented. "You are an odd raccoon, stranger. But your kindness hasn't gone un-noted." Smitten, Kelley watched as the Hen slinked away into the shadows, leaving behind in Kelley's paws an address and a time for meeting her; 8pm, Evening. Old Melbourne Town.

By the time B.F caught up with him, Kelley was still gazing at the invitation, no doubt stunned by how easy it was. B.F nudged Kelley back to reality before peering his shoulder whilst saying, "What're you lookin' at, kid?" Hurriedly, Kelley hid the invitation June had given him in his pocket, his face looking very red in embarrassment. B.F chuckled, ruffling Kelley's ears as he joked, "Ya look like you've gone an' seen a ghost. Or better yet, a lady friend." Kelley turned back to B.F, before muttering underneath his breath. "Cuz, I think Cupid shot me in the bum." B.F tilted his head, smiling as he tried hearing his younger cousin's admittance, "Come again?" only for Kelley to repeat, "I'm in love, mate." For a moment, B.F adjusted his eyes before stifling a laugh, petting Kelley's back proudly. "Well lookit here, you're growin' a few hairs on yer chest, slick. So who's the lucky damsel?" B.F noted Kelley's embarrassed face, before slapping his knee, laughing in uproarious amusement. "Yer pullin' my leg mighty fine, kiddo!" As B.F laughed his guts out, Kelley walked off back to their hideout, no doubt irritated by his cousin's jibes.


	19. Chapter 19- Love, Thy Prickled Thorn

The next day, B.F and Kelley were out and about in Old Melbourne Town Market. While B.F busied himself with purchasing food for the hideout, Kelley noticed a typical scenario in the Town Square; a robber stealing a purse from a young woman. With B.F distracted, he stole away into the shadows, closely following the crook into a dark alley to nick what he stole.

Once the crook began sifting through the purse, Kelley tapped the crook's shoulder. "Good arvo, mate. Could ya be a bottler and tell me th' way to th' post office." The crook turned to Kelley before snapping, "Pull yer 'ead in or rack off, ya whacker!" When the crook turned away, he found the purse gone and his pockets empty. A cheeky Kelley winked at the enraged crook, cracking "Who's the whacker now, ya nong?" before disappearing back into the crowd, returning it to the young woman without her even noticing as he and B.F made their way back to the hideout.

Late at night, Kelley snuck out from his hideout, carrying the invitation June had given him in his trouser pocket. Discarding his disguise, he made his way to the Town Square by Rooftop, speeding from spire to spire. On the inside, a million little niggling doubts chewed away at his feet. 'What if her 'Lord' she kept earbashing me about would spot me within cooee of June and call the Troopers? What if she hated the way I look? Would she turn me in like a dirty towel?' However, Kelley pushed all those thoughts away, as he smiled to himself. 'Best make a ripper of a first impression.' He had left his rifle at the hideout, so to not make him look suspicious in front of his newly courted.

By the time he had reached the mansion, he noted the many guards posted on almost every side. With the precision of a thief, Kelley began scanning the area for a quick way into the mansion, when he spotted one; the balcony. Slipping away into the shadows, he broke in through the back gate before ducking, bobbing and weaving through the bushes and plants. For tonight he was the Eagle of the Outback, and June would be his Mate.

Scanning the area beneath the Balcony, he checked the area for guards before he went through his lines. "Lessee….roses are red, violets are blue, there's no other sheila more beautiful than you…no! Too corny…" Suddenly, he heard a voice calling out, "Hello? Who's there?" For a moment, Kelley froze behind the bush, before he took a deep breath. Poking his head out from the bush, he called out, "G'day there, Luv. Just came in to enjoy the breeze." The hen from the market walked over to the balcony before she spotted Kelley. "I see you received my invitation, Ringtail." Kelley shrugged before answered, "Yeah, I suppose. For a pretty galah like yerself, I'd ride through a hundred guards and-ouch-thorny bushes." The hen, sheathing her dagger, called down to him, "Why are you all the way down there? Would it not be better to be up here?" Only for Kelley to reply, bowing respectfully "Tis tradition, Sheila," before he cleared his throat to announce his half-thought-out, poorly constructed love poem. "My love fer you is like a diamond; rough around the edges, but with a sparkle no other jewel can offer. Had you not dropped into my lap, the diamond would still be coal. But you are the sun to my flower, the water to my soil." June smiled, hearing every word the Ringtail had to offer before she called back, lying through her beak "And you are like a lamp in the cave. You have offered me light where everything else is too dark to see."

Flattered, Kelley then made his way up the balcony before peeking over the railings, his hat slightly drooping from his brow as he answered, "And you-ungh-are a rose among a garden of thorns-achk-the apple of my eye." Finally heaving himself onto the balcony, Kelley puffed before smiling reassuringly at the hen. June coyly blushed as she brushed lightly on her shoulder, obviously flirting with Kelley. "My…you look like a strong beast…what's say we escape from this place?" Kelley's ears twitched before he asked, "What about the guards?" The hen chuckled before kissing Kelley's cheek. "The night is young, ringtail. What's say we celebrate it? Just until my Lord comes home and convinces me to gut you?" Kelley's mind tried convincing him to leave, but for some reason, his heart insisted. Without thinking, Kelley grabbed the hen before leaping from the balcony, escaping the compound with her.

The two lovebirds patrolled the city streets, dropping in and out of various places in Old Melbourne Town. Their first stop was the Local Carnival, where the Hen dragged Kelley to a Ferris Wheel. Naturally, Kelley followed June onto the Ferris Wheel-but they did not pay for it legally, with Kelley pickpocketing a few of the richer patrons just to board the Ride. They had themselves a jolly time, as the wheel took them up to the sky, where the Hen pointed out where she lived and Kelley likewise.

Their next stop was an expensive restaurant. From the rooftop, Kelley stole two plates of food from two nobles, sharing it with the Hen. The hen laughed, calling Kelley a sneaky devil, but Kelley did not care, sharing his food with his new friend until they were finished.

And their final stop was a hill overlooking Melbourne Town. Kelley rode his horse toward the hill, carrying his sweetheart up the hill before the two rolled into the grass. Landing at the bottom of the hill, the two laughed like they were children. Here, Kelley felt young again, as did the Hen.

When things settled down, Kelley sat beside his beloved, looking up at the stars as they rested on the top of the hillside. The Hen smiled, turning over to Kelly's side before prompting Kelley to do likewise. And it was under the crescent moon that the two lovers kissed passionately, giving not a care in the world for anything that could've ruined this moment for either of them. Slowly, the Bushranger felt himself falling in love with the Hen, having only known her as an assassin who kept trying to kill him-but never actually knowing her name. Her name was June, she tells him. June was Kelley's favourite month.

At midnight, Kelley finally returned his crush to the Balcony of her home. But as she laid herself on the bed, she heard a knock at the door. Gasping in fear, she turned to Kelley before telling him, "It's my father, he is here. Quickly, you must escape." Kelley's ears folded, turning his back to leave. Then, before either of them knew it, Kelley locked lips with the hen's lips, albeit for a brief moment. Breaking himself away, he leaves a calling card behind before winking as he replied. "Milady, it's been a pleasure being of your service. Have a wonderful evening. Ta-ta." Quickly, Kelley leapt from the balcony, leaving the Hen to open the door.

Behind the door was her so-called Lord; Atenhotep. "Has the trap been sprung," he asked, only for the hen to nod reluctantly. "Yes, lord Atenhotep. The ringtail won't be able to resist visiting me the next time." Atenhotep answered, "No, my dear girl, _you_ shall be the trap." June's face went pale before she asked, "But why me, my lord? I thought I was to kill him.." Atenhotep chuckled, his left eye glowing red as he answered, "That is the point, my dear. Brute force has not worked in the past, but you will. You will get close to his heart, keep him off-guard, soften his heart as you get closer to him…then, when he is at his weakest, you are to kill him. For the Sun, the Ringtail must _die_." With a heavy heart, June nodded. "For the Sun, he _shall_."


	20. Chapter 20- Divided, We Fall-Part 1

The next morning, upon waking up from a night's rest, B.F noticed that Kelley was still dressed in his longcoat even when he was asleep. But what grabbed his attention was the invitation in his younger cousin's paw. He walked over to the sleeping bushranger before tapping Kelley's shoulder, "Hey, partner, you've got somethin' in yer paw." Groggily, Kelley murmured, "Go 'way, yankee whacker…I'm tryin' t'get some shut-eye…" B.F smiled before tugging on the invitation, "Come on, let's have ourselves a look-see." Somewhat awake, Kelley zipped awake before he tries to hide the invitation from B.F, blushing a hot shade of red. Unfortunately, as Kelley tried to hide it from B.F, the wily Yankee managed to grab hold of it from the Bushranger's paw, before reading it out loud, "Thank you for your kindness, stranger. Please meet me at my father's mansion in the evening. The mansion is near the Town Square." Kelley snatched the invitation back before hurriedly putting it in his pocket, still blushing. "That's nunayer business, yankee." B.F chuckled, laying back on his chair as he explained to Kelley, even though he was smiling like a lunatic at his cousin's embarrassed facial expression, "Look, kiddo, I think it's as bright as day what's got ya down. A lady-chick's got yer heart on a string. Would explain why ya stink like a mule an' ya didn't take off yer clothes." Kelley tried to ignore him, before B.F tugged on his tail, his tone sounding surprisingly sincere as he said, "Look, kiddo, we Coopers go through th' same stage, an' I think it's high time I teach ya how t'speak to a lady." Kelley snatched his tail back from B.F, vainly stroking it as he replied, "Too right, mate. But here's the thing. I've got buckley's of a chance to get her attention." B.F answered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Horse hockey! Yer one o' the most charmin', cheekiest li' snots I ever stumbled upon. Look, you've helped me outta a few shootouts in th' past, so it's only fair I teach ya th' other side o' the Cooper Coin. How t'win a damsel's heart."

Later in the morning, a disguised B.F and Kelley went out searching for some romantic gifts for Kelley's newly gained sweetheart. Understandably, Kelley whispered in B.F's ear, "Mate, I feel like a pig in a meat factory, ''ow's this going to work?" B.F whispered back, "Stop beatin' 'round th' bush, it'll work out. Trust me, if it worked fer good ol' great great granpappy Galleth, it'll do you wonders. Now stop sittin' by the Pot an' pick somethin' she'll go apricots about." Kelley solemnly nodded, before paying for a purple flower and green sash. "Bloody oath mate!" B.F picked up a box of chocolates' before responding, "Hold yer horses, kid. A gentleman never swears in front of a lady-friend. It's tradition t'be presentable an' gentlemanly. So don't go ridin' in half-cocked, this ain't a robbery." Kelley sighed before rolling his eyes, sarcastically commenting. "I'd like to chat wi' the cockie who came up with that winner of an idea."

After getting the gifts, B.F spotted June walking down the street. Kelley wanted to give her the presents right away, but B.F grabbed hold of his tail. "Whoa there, Tex. The fast approach may work for robbin' blind banks, but not fer gettin' a lady's heart." Little did either B.F or Kelley know that as they were chatting, June slyly blushed at the display of gifts. She knew that it would be worthless to act all coy and womanly when the time came, so she waited until Kelley walked up to her, carrying the presents. Kelley tried pulling his best smile, aware that B.F was watching his every movement as he tried chatting up June first. "G'day, sheila…" Suddenly, B.F made a 'no' motion, gesturing to Kelley that his words should carry a more gentlemanly air to them. Kelley cleared his throat before trying again, this time in a bad English accent. "Good noon to you, my lady. How be you on this marvellous day?" June smiled nervously to a shadowy figure from the roof before replying, "Oh..honey-bun…that's so thoughtful of you to ask." B.F gave Kelley the 'thumbs-up sign' before gesturing him to give June the flower first. Kelley smiled nervously before giving June the purple flower. "For you, my darling. It's scent reminds me of you." B.F slapped his face in an exaggerated fashion before whispering to himself, 'Consarn it, ya dumb kid…that ain't how you compliment a lady-friend…" Suddenly throwing off B.F's guidance, Kelley cleared his throat before asking June, "Look, ya mind if we meet somewhere private?" June nodded, before the two broke away from their place in the mansion. B.F watched them leave before asking himself, 'Darn it, Kelley, where in Sam blazes are ya scamperin' off to?"

As if to answer his question, Kelley and June regrouped in a far-away alley before Kelley felt comfortable to speak again, this time in his normal tone. "Sorry about the embarrassment, sheila….it's just that I've never had a chatter with sheilas and dames that lasted more than a minute…." June nodded before placing her finger on his lips. "I know, Kelley MacCooper." Kelley's eyes widened upon hearing his name. "How-how did you know who I am?" June closed her eyes before breathing outwards. "I…I'm sorry Kelley…." June leaned against Kelley's chest, sobbing quietly even as Kelley found himself speechless. He could do nothing except embrace her, holding her in his arms for what seemed like an eternity.

But all of a sudden, that union was shattered. An ear-piercing scream filled the sky, breaking up Kelley from June's hold. "Cripes! What was that?!" June gulped before telling him, "Atenhotep is here." Before Kelley could reply, a Eurasian owl landed in front of him. A fall from that should've broken his limbs revealed a hidden secret beneath Atenhotep's limbs; clockwork prosthetic limbs, combustion engines and half a boiler were all hidden beneath the Flesh. Kelley snarled before pulling out his rifle, defending June. "You must be Him, eh? If you want her, you'll get 'er over my lifeless carcass, ya freakish mongrel!" Suddenly, Atenhotep gripped Kelley's throat, shoving him against a wall as he began to ramble. "A freak, am I?! You Coopers are all alike, always letting their emotions get the better of their common sense! I should have ridden you of both the Book and your worthless life years ago, but what end would that achieve? When I could instead destroy you at your weakest point, your heart." Kelley's eyes widened upon realization. "No…" June walked up to the helpless Kelley, holding his rifle with a tear in her eye. "I'm sorry….I-I'm so….sorry…." Upon realising what had happened, Kelley's tone wavered as he asked her, his tone feeling confused. "Wh-why? I…I thought we had…somethin' bonzer…somethin' worth bottlin'…" June then looked into Kelley's eyes before she finally confessed "Atenhotep…he sent me to kill you. I was the assassin…..I know I tried to kill you so many times before….but I….I never expected to…love you." Kelley heard the cocking of his rifle, even as he tried to struggle. June's voice was the only sound he heard over everything else. "Goodbye….Bushranger."


	21. Chapter 20- Divided, We Fall-Part 2

A loud gunshot was heard by B.F Cooper from only a distance. Fearing the worst, B.F whispered to himself, almost dropping his gun. "Sweet Mary…" Disregarding his gun, he ran as fast as he could toward the scene. Furiously running past the scattered civilians, B.F thought to himself, 'Please don't be dead…please, kid, don't you die on me now…"

* * *

Kelley's eyes were still alive, wide open in fright. June held the smoking rifle in her arms, kneeling to the ground. A spot next to Kelley's head had a bullet hole impaled through the brick. Surging with barely restrained anger, Atenhotep's eye began to fracture, as he dropped Kelley to the ground. "How disappointing." With a face masking cold fury, he gazed over to the traumatised June, still holding the rifle. Casually, he walked over to June, seemingly doing nothing. Then, KRACK! He smacked June aside with his still organic arm. "_You_…are useless to me! You let your emotions get the best of you, June Tsao. I am incredibly disappointed-no, scratch that-I am Very. Very. ANGRY!" He picked June up by the throat before extending talons on his mechanical arm. "And now…you shall learn that bad little girls get PUNISHED!" Suddenly, Kelley mustered enough strength to wrest June from the Eurasian Owl's tyrannical grasp, the tyrant's metallic claws sinking into his flesh. "AUGH!" Kelley yelped in pain, as he felt his chest bleed. Trying as best as he could to shrug the pain, he helped June to her feet, staring down the Child of the Sun. "You inhuman, tastelessly venomous mongrel! I may not be all fair dinkum about bein' bitten in the back like a viper…ngh!" He grasped his bleeding chest, kneeling on one ankle as he continued. "But I will not scarper away like a ponce! She's my sheila, and if you have to exact blood t'day mate, then have a gander! Come on! Snuff me out, ya half-mechanical clockwork drongo!" All of a sudden, Atenhotep snarled before rambling on, circling Kelley like a dangerous mechanical creature from hell's depths. "Clockwork? Yes….I like the ring of….Clockwerkhotep. On second thought, why should I bother with the prefix Hotep? From now on, Ringtail, you shall know me by my true form. The true incarnation of perfection." Suddenly, his flesh began to buckle and tear, as his clockwork gears rushed at high speeds to increase His physical size. "A machine fuelled by every _ounce_ of my_ rage!" _Then, Clockwerk began to sprout fully-mechanical wings from his shoulders, levelling the city around him to cinders, even as Kelley helped June escape from the destruction.

B.F stopped to see Kelley and June running out from the alley, before he raced towards them. "Kelley, ya son of a goat! What's happened?" Kelley replied, his tone growing ever concerned. "We have to scarper, mate. Fetch the horses! NOW!" B.F nodded before activating his Fast technique. In Fast, B.F sped Kelley and June away from the destruction before mounting them on their horses. B.F handed Kelley over a gun before looking up. "Lock an' load, kiddo. 'Cause hell's breakin' loose, an' we're gonna head it for th' pass!" Kelley grunted in pain, before forcing a laugh, holding his gun to the air as B.F rode them from the Gates of Melbourne.

Like a phoenix, the resurrected Clockwerk flew from the ruins of his underground lair over the fearful populace of Melbourne Town, his voice booming over the widespread panic. "BEHOLD! CLOCKWERK LIVES!" Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Oi, Clockwerk!" Clockwerk's eyes magnified themselves to see Kelley calling out to him on horseback. Despite being injured, Kelley still maintained his bravado. "Come and get us, ya lard-winged galah!" His eyes turning red, Clockwerk let out an ear-splitting roar, "MACCOOOPPPPEEERRR!" as he flew toward Kelley.

Kelley, seeing the looming shadow of his family enemy, bucked the straps on his horse. "Come on, ya bastard! Ride!" Panicking, the horse rode away from Clockwerk, giving Kelley plenty of time to prepare his shot. B.F rode up beside Kelley, also bearing his pistol before calling out, "Don't fire 'til ya see th' reds in his eyes!" Kelley chuckled bitterly before answering, "Don't get yer knickers in a twist, I'm always ready t' shoot!"

As the looming figure of Clockwerk flew toward them, Kelley began firing at the beast, aiming at the organic bits. If there were any. Clockwerk managed to avoid the shots peppered at him, baring his claws as he laughed maniacally. "Run, run, little ringtailed mousies…uncle Clockwerk's going to GOBBLE YOU UP!" Kelley snarled before aiming his rifle at the megalomaniacal bird's wing. "Sorry, ya greedy nong, Kelley MacCooper's not yer bloody bushtucker!" Firing a volley, Kelley damaged one of the cords powering Clockwerk's wings, but this served to no avail. Kelley silently cursed himself, reloading as he grumbled, "Doesn't this whacker just throw in the sponge already? He'd give me a headache if I had any heads left!" B.F just kept shooting pistol volleys at the carnivorous bird, avoiding a divebombing attack just as he aimed for the cables powering Clockwerk's wings. "Yee-haw! Fly along, ya ancient varmint! I'll bag ya yet!" Clockwerk replied, still taunting the horseback Coopers, "In five thousand years, I have never died, Cooper scum! I am eternal!" Kelley replied, calling out as he fired a shot at Clockwerk's tail feathers. "Eternity doesn't last long, cobber!" Clockwerk winced in pain, before flying toward Kelley's horse. "Die, Bushranger!" Now with a clear shot, Kelley aimed down the barrel before he cracked, "Not today, mongrel." Firing a shot, Kelley managed to damage Clockwerk's right eye, just as Clockwerk narrowly avoided charging into both June and Kelley as they leapt out of the way.

Half-blinded, Clockwerk flew straight above the horse, unable to see very well until he began relying on the wind current. Turning around, Clockwerk began diving down to face Kelley head-on, gliding along the wind current like an arrow shot straight for its' target. Cockily, Kelley stood up to fire a shot at Clockwerk, but something went wrong. Kelley felt his rifle jam. Silently, he cursed himself, throwing aside his rifle just as Clockwerk tried to divebomb him. Narrowly leaping out of the way, Kelley tried to regain his bearings. No horse, no backup, and no weapon. As he saw Clockwerk prepare his attack once more, Kelley leapt for his rifle, performing some quick maintenance before finally getting the rifle working again. His brow sweaty, his aim shaking, Kelley closed his eyes and prayed, hoping that this shot would work.

Clockwerk smiled arrogantly upon seeing the pathetic attempt for resisting displayed before him. "You are mine now, MacCooper!" Slackening his wings, Clockwerk flew at top speed, placing a gambit on whether or not this would work. Finally, Kelley took the shot, firing a blind shot at Clockwerk. Opening his eyes, Kelley saw the bullet hit, and in a lucky shot, managed to cripple that wing. As Clockwerk sped up to crash into the ground, Kelley leapt out of the way, watching as Clockwerk crash-landed head-first into the ground.

Stunned, B.F rubbed his eyes with both his paws. A lucky shot managed to cripple one of the Cooper Clan's most feared enemies. He rode towards Kelley, drawing his pistol just to deal with the inevitably still alive Clockwerk. Recovering himself, Kelley stood up from the ground before helping June to her feet. "You apples, sheila?" June was speechless; earlier that day, she had betrayed and lied to him, notwithstanding the fact that she almost killed him. Yet here he was, willing to forgive her, even treating her like an ally. Intimidated, June nodded before Kelley unexpectedly gave her a hug. "It's over…ya don't have to fear that mongrel anymore…." But all of a sudden, Clockwerk regained his strength, limping toward Kelley before he called out, "MacCooper!" Suddenly, Kelley looked back to see his mortal enemy, alive. "Holy dooley…" Clockwerk began to grin, dragging his damaged wing along the ground as his circuitry became more exposed. "I am eternal…I will never die…never die…" Kelley stood to protect June, holding his rifle before reloading it, in that time giving Clockwerk one more phrase to remember by. "Yeah, yeah, immortal this, never will die that, heard that jibber-jabber before, mate. But ya know what? I have somethin' you'll never have, Clocky." Clockwerk bared his claws before retorting, "I am…eternal…my hate is strong…" only for Kelley to ask, "But is hate all you have t'offer, mate? Is wanting my head for yer trophy rack so bleedin' important you endanger everyone else in the process? For what, mate? To prove a point? Oh, you've proved one already, mate." Surprisingly, he holstered his rifle before mounting himself on his horse, letting June sit behind him before he turned to face the still-functioning Clockwerk. "Here's mine; I'm a MacCooper. I'm a thief. A bushranger. A butcher's son. A survivor of a clan you butchered. But above all else, mate, I'm a lover. And it doesn't take a book or a legacy t'make a thief. It's th' other way 'round. And that's why you'll lose a lot more than yer eye in th' future." Just to rub salt in the wound, Kelley pretended to ride away into the sunset, baiting Clockwerk into following him….and then draws his rifle and shoots him three times in the chest. Riding over to Clockwerk, Kelley aimed his rifle down Clockwerk's eye before snarling. "And y'know what I'm also not? Brain-dead." Pulling the trigger, Kelley fired a shot into Clockwerk's shoulder, immobilizing him long enough for B.F to help drag Clockwerk to a cliff-and throw him off the edge, letting Clockwerk get swept away by the tide.

Turning to June, Kelley nuzzled her before saying, "The nightmare's over, Sheila. Fer us, at least." June smiled before nuzzling back, only for him to kiss her on the lips, surprising June for a moment until June started kissing back passionately. B.F smiled before riding up to Kelley, handing him over a letter. "I've been meanin' t'keep this fer ya, kid. It's from a cousin 'o mine, an' I think you'd love t'meet him." Looking at the letter, Kelley saw the front of it signed 'Kid Cooper'. Reading the back, Kelley suddenly felt a surge of joy welling up inside him. He whooped, "Bonzer, Tennie, ya Ripper!" B.F took the letter before asking, "I take it ya wanna meet 'im?" Kelley looked toward June, before she nodded, prompting Kelley to reply, "Mate, I'm as rapt as a dingo on an Opium Rush. Let's ride!" B.F chuckled before bucking the horse's straps. "Yee-haw! Git along, lil' doggies!" Triumphant, the three rode off into the sunset, for greater parts yet to be told.

* * *

**The End!**


End file.
